Federal Sports Minister Anika Wells refuses to back in ongoing viability of Commonweath Games

Federal Sports Minister Anika Wells has pointedly declined to back in the future of the Commonwealth Games, saying she is focused on “other major events”.

Federal sports minister Anika Wells has refused to back in the future of the Commonwealth Games, saying she is putting her efforts into the success of “17 other major events”.

Asked if she cared if the Commonwealth Games continue, Ms Wells said: “I care for our athletes”.

She said Australia already had many events on home soil and her priority was having athletes “go from playground to podium”.

“As the federal Sports Minister I’ve got 17 other major events that the federal government is invested in, is working on, and needs to make a success and that’s where I’m putting my effort,” she told ABC Radio National.

Wells being presented with an Australian Commonwealth Games team blazer in 2022.

The future of the Commonwealth Games has been thrown under the dark cloud by the Victorian government’s shock move to pull the pin on hosting the 2026 event.

Ms Wells said she found out the 2026 Commonwealth Games was being cancelled by the Victorian government on the day of the announcement.

“I was at a women in sport conference so I wasn’t in a huge position to get on the phone,” she said.

“I accepted the advice and it has got some ramifications for the federal government.

“But my focus really is on the 17 other major events that we’ve got on the green and gold runway between now and Brisbane 2032.”

Ms Wells did not elaborate on what those ramifications were.

She said she was “not surprised” that the costs had blown out but had not seen the figures.

“We had asked for more detail from the state government and that they were going to come back to us and instead they decided to cancel,” Ms Wells said.

“So we never got that that detail before this decision overrode everything.”

Asked if the Victorian government should release the figures, Ms Wells said: “I really don’t see what that would progress”.

She said there had been no proposals for the government to consider intervening.

Ms Wells also accused the Coalition of hypocrisy, saying they were demanding that politics intervene in sport.

“They’re saying to us as a government, that we don’t have our priorities right because we’re not doing enough to address the cost of living crisis but then they say that we should spend billions of dollars on taxpayers money intervening to save the Commonwealth Games,” Ms Wells said.