Gina Rinehart backs Gold Coast bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games

Australia’s richest person has breathed new life into the Gold Coast’s audacious bid to pick up the 2026 Commonwealth Games dumped by Victoria. HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR POLL

• Your view: New Qld Games debate erupts

Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has breathed fresh life into the Gold Coast’s bid to save the 2026 Commonwealth Games that were dumped by Victoria.

The billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist has joined forces with major sporting bodies to help Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate in his bold bid to salvage the Games, after they were dramatically dumped by Victorian Premier Dan Andrews last month because of claimed huge cost blowouts.

While it is understood Mrs Rinehart is not prepared to bankroll the Games herself – which Cr Tate claims could be staged on the Glitter Strip for a little over $1 billion – she has offered to do whatever else she can to help the city secure the event.

The federal and state governments last month both dismissed Cr Tate’s proposed rescue bid, saying Queensland should remain focused on its hosting of the 2032 Olympics – but Mrs Rinehart’s intervention and fresh public support from Swimming Queensland, Volleyball Australia and Artistic Swimming Australia will today reboot it.

Mrs Rinehart’s spokesman that while “direct athlete support” would remain the focus of Hancock Prospecting’s sports funding program, she would be backing the Gold Coast bid.

“Having seen the joy that athletes and their families experienced when competing in front of a home crowd for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Mrs Rinehart would certainly welcome the 2026 event to again be held in Australia, especially at the Gold Coast, where it was run so successfully before,” her spokesman said.

Gina Rinehart

Cr Tate said Mrs Rinehart had been a generous supporter of Australian sport and it was “fantastic” she was backing the Coast’s Commonwealth Games salvage mission.

“Her statement sends a clear message: we must show what we are capable of as a country,” Cr Tate said.

“The Aussie athletes deserve it, as does every young kid who dreams of representing their country.”

“The momentum behind a 2026 Gold Coast Games is growing.”

Cr Tate pointed out that a survey on the websites of the Gold Coast Bulletin and The Courier-Mail had found majority support from the 10,000-plus respondents.

“Every news poll has shown overwhelming support – and the irony is that we are not even asking for additional funds from the Federal Government; I simply want the Federal Treasurer to redirect the funds they had planned for Vic2026 to us,” he said.

“We will take it from there and I’m well advised that if we do manage to save the 2026 Games, the Commonwealth Games Federation may reconsider its legal action against the state of Victoria. That alone could save Victorian taxpayers up to $900 million in costs for the contract breach.”

Swimming Queensland boss Kev Hasemann said his organisation was right behind the Gold Coast and Mrs Rinehart in their push to save the Commonwealth Games.

“The Commonwealth Games give Australia’s best swimmers a vital opportunity to hone their racing skills for the pinnacle events on the world stage: the World Aquatics Championships and the Olympic Games,” he said.

Tom Tate

“Indeed, the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games was a precursor to Australia’s outstanding results in the pool at the Tokyo Olympics and the recently concluded World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, where our swimmers won 13 gold and a total of 25 medals.

“Their performance in Fukuoka has now placed Australia as the top swimming nation in the world, supplanting the hitherto invincible USA.”

But Mr Hasemann said Australia faced a “herculean task” to develop a new cohort of swimmers in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics.

“The Commonwealth Games are a vital component of this process of renewal and have provided a golden pathway to the Olympics for so many of our great champions,” he said.

“Our own Ariarne Titmus, who launched her career on the Gold Coast in 2018, has led the charge from our champion swim team to resuscitate the Games and to provide not only that launching pad to the Olympics but the opportunity to enrich the lives of our youth and inspire our future champions.

“The Gold Coast can rescue the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and, like the Women’s FIFA World Cup, breathe life back into a multi-sport competition that has played such a major part in our sporting heritage.”

Volleyball Australia president Craig Carracher said his organisation viewed the Gold Coast as the sport’s “spiritual home” after it joined the Commonwealth Games there in 2018.

“Volleyball Australia would support the Gold Coast’s efforts to embrace the Commonwealth Games in 2026,” he said.

He said Volleyball Australia was willing to financially contribute to the games, just like it did in 2018.

The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

“Australia’s volleyball players have long been supported by Hancock Prospecting,” he said.

“Ms Rinehart sat beside me on the beach at the Gold Coast in 2018 watching our men win gold and our women silver and we’d both love to be back there in 2026.”

Artistic Swimming’s Brian Miller said the 2018 Gold Coast Games were highly successful and “gave the whole country a lift”.

“The news of Victoria’s withdrawal was devastating for young Australian athletes across many different sports and if the event can be resurrected by the Gold Coast it would be a great shot in the arm for young sportsmen and women throughout Australia,” he said.

Mrs Rinehart said through her spokesman that Gold Coast businesses and sporting venues would benefit “for years to come” if the city again hosted the Games, but stressed federal funding earmarked for the Victorian event would need to be reallocated to Queensland.

“We’d love to see the Gold Coast pool venue upgraded to become a pool venue suitable for the Olympics, instead of taxpayers funding a temporary pool in Brisbane,” the spokesman quoted her as saying.

“An Olympic standard pool venue at the Gold Coast could then benefit our swimmers and artistic swimmers in the lead up to the Olympics, and at the Brisbane Olympics itself and onwards.”

Cr Tate said Victoria’s shock decision to dump the Games was a major embarrassment for Australia and had severely damaged its reputation.

“To me, the Aussie way of life is to honour a deal, whether it is secured with a handshake or a formal contract,” he said.

“Aussies are known for being fair dinkum when it comes to their word so politics aside, we must honour our country’s commitment to the 2026 Games.”

Originally published as Gina Rinehart backs Gold Coast bid for 2026 Commonwealth Games