Melbourne considered too cold and busy for Olympic bid

TOO cold with too many events on: These were the reasons for Melbourne’s controversial exclusion from Australia’s next Olympic bid. But some believe score settling may have been a factor in the snub.

The mighty MCG wasn’t enough to see Melbourne included in the bid. Picture: AAP

MELBOURNE was controversially sidelined from bidding on the Olympic Games because it was considered too cold and already packed with world class sporting events.

Australian Olympic chiefs snubbed Melbourne for a Games bid because of the city’s climate and an incorrect belief it would clash with the AFL Grand Final and Spring Racing.

Australian Olympic Committee chairman John Coates has for the first time detailed his rationale for giving Queensland the green light to bid for the 2028 Games at the expense of Victoria and NSW.

Mr Coates told the Herald Sun that because the Olympics had to be staged between July and August, Melbourne and Sydney were excluded from the conversation.

He said it was due an “Olympic Charter and Host City Contract requirement’’ that no major event should take place in the city or region during the Games, a week before or after.

“We concluded that the NRL and AFL Grand Finals and the Sydney and Melbourne racing carnivals during the September-November period would therefore likely rule out later dates for hosting the Games in those cities,’’ he said.

But this year’s Grand Final will be held on September 30 — a month after the suggested Olympic end date — and the Melbourne Cup will be staged on November 7, more than two months afterwards.

The AFL Grand Final worked against Melbourne. Picture: Getty

Despite Melbourne boasting the MCG, an unrivalled sporting precinct close to the CBD, excellent public transport and a proud major events history, the AOC gave it the cold shoulder.

Mr Coates, reappointed president after a bitter battle with Olympic Gold Medallist Danni Roche last month, and the committee instead urged south east Queensland to bid for the greatest show on earth.

“Brisbane’s climate was the only one of our three largest cities suitable for hosting a Games during this period,’’ he said.

But insiders said Melbourne’s snub could also be a way for Coates to get back at Victorian sporting heavyweights who lobbied unsuccessfully to remove him from the top job after 27 years in charge.

Related: Can Coates repair the damage?

Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle branded Mr Coate’s gesture “off-handed and rude’’, questioning whether Queensland could even stage such an event and how Victoria could be overlooked.

“He might want to check his dates for a start,’’ Mr Doyle said.

“The AFL Grand Final is in late September and the Spring Carnival is in November.’’

Mr Doyle said the fact Melbourne was voted SportBusiness Ultimate Sport City of the decade, had the right infrastructure and lured huge crowds to events meant it demanded consideration.

“If the thought bubble was to without any consultation or consideration rule out Melbourne and Sydney for that matter that is not a good start to his new term,’’ he said.

The International Olympic Committee can grant an exemption for a city to host the summer Games outside the July 15-August 31 period it has been staged in since Sydney 2000.

But Mr Coates said: “I cannot think of such a set of circumstances as since these dates were settled I cannot recall there having been any applications for exemption’’.

An executive working on the south east Queensland bid confirmed Mr Coates’ stance.

“Melbourne is unable to facilitate an Olympic bid of their own or host a suite of major events/facilities because the weather is too cold to support a summer Olympic Games in July/August,’’ she said.

But Sports Minister John Eren said Australia’s sporting capital was better placed than anywhere to host an iconic event like the Olympics.

“To suggest otherwise is simply wrong,’’ he said.

“Victoria’s events calendar is one of the best in the world and hosting the Olympic Games would only add to our global reputation as a world class destination for major events.’’

John Coates was reappointed AOC president after a bitter battle.

Even former Queensland Premier and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games chairman Peter Beattie said he believed any future Australian Olympic bid needed Melbourne or Sydney to succeed.

Mr Coates did say Melbourne could be offered some minor events to help ease a squeeze on facilities if Queensland was successful in its Olympic bid.

“So, just as some football preliminaries were held outside Sydney in 2000, including in Melbourne, there is the potential for this with other preliminaries in team sports for reasons of sustainability,’’ he said.

Matches up to quarterfinals could be on the table.

Despite Melbourne being frozen out of the next Olympic bid, Rio was awarded the last Games despite crime fears and Beijing was awarded the 2008 event even though the city was riddled with pollution.

While the south east Queensland proposal was originally for the 2028 Games, Mr Coates said organisers could be prepared to defer it to 2032 if the IOC elects the 2024 and 2028 hosts this September.

Major events guru Ron Walker said the Olympics was now too expensive to stage in Australia and criticised Mr Coates vowing to take it Queensland.

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