‘Olympics will suffer’: dire warning over 2026 Commonwealth Games axing

Scrapping the 2026 Commonwealth Games will also have a ‘devastating impact’ on the Australia’s athletes, the nation’s peak athletics body warns.

Former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ decision to axe the Commonwealth Games will hurt Australia’s athletes, the nation’s peak athletics body has warned. Picture: AAP

Cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games delivered a “devastating impact” on Australia’s athletes and the historic event’s brand may “never recover”, the nation’s peak athletics body has warned.

In a stinging submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the event’s axing by former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, Athletics Australia said the decision would undermine track and field competitors right through to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

“None of these impacts will be confined to Victoria. They will carry forward to Brisbane 2032,” the submission states.

To compensate for the loss of the regional-based event, the organisation has called for the government to invest in new track and field facilities to encourage participation at a junior level and to help elite athletes prepare for international competition.

“The cancellation of VIC2026 has had and continues to have a devastating impact on our sport and our athletes,” the organisation’s submission states.

“The manner in which the news of the cancellation was delivered further compounded the angst, with the then Premier of Victoria (Mr Andrews) stating that he made no apology for cancelling the Games to instead invest in regional Victoria.

“The upheaval this decision has caused for athletics in Victoria and Australia, as well as the Commonwealth Games is immeasurable, with a blatant disregard for the significant logistical, emotional, financial and reputational damage caused.”

Athletics Australia warned in its submission to the Legislative Council inquiry that the “Commonwealth Games brand may never recover from this episode, and in that, hundreds of past athletes who have competed in the green and gold for Australia with pride will now experience a diminished public perception on the value of their performances in this event”.

Athletics Australia chiefs are expected to appear before the inquiry, headed by Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick, next week.

Athletics Australia, in its submission, told the inquiry that the cancellation had impacted the reputation of Victoria and Australia to attract elite athletes to compete in events.

And the association believes that cancellation has negatively impacted on the “pathway for the next generation of Australian athletes trying to break through in international competition”.

“Notably, many of our Australian stars first launched onto the international scene via the Commonwealth Games including 16-year-old Cathy Freeman, the first Indigenous Australian person to become a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in Auckland in 1990, and then little-known 23-year-old Steve Hooker who secured gold in his first major international competition at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games,” the submission states.

Mr Andrews and his replacement as premier, Jacinta Allan, who was also the Commonwealth Games minister, have snubbed the committee’s inquiry into the cancellation of the event.

In ripping up the contract, Mr Andrews said the initial $2.6bn cost of hosting the event in five regional cities, including Geelong, had blown out to as much as $7bn. Victorian taxpayers ended up paying the Commonwealth Games organisation $380m in compensation, and the real cost to the state of the fiasco is likely to crash through $600m.

Shadow Minister for Tourism, Sport and Events Sam Groth launched a strong attack on the Allan government in the wake of submission.

“This is a scathing submission that highlights the impact of Jacinta Allan’s $600 million debacle on not just Victoria’s reputation but also sport and athletes,” he said.

“Jacinta Allan has so far refused to appear before the inquiry to explain her role in this costly debacle. If she won’t do that, the very least she can do is apologise to the athletes who won’t get to compete for their country on home soil.”