The head of Western Australia’s peak sporting body has declined to back a bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, given the short lead time and minimal impact it would have on grassroots athletics.
The possibility of Perth hosting the event emerged in September this year following the success of the AFL Grand Final, which was played in front of a sold-out crowd at Optus Stadium.
City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has been the most vocal proponent and had lobbied for the federal and state government to make a bid for the games.
Premier Mark McGowan was unconvinced, however, arguing earlier a fortnight ago that hosting rights would likely come at a cost of billions of dollars to the state.
Asked at a forum hosted by the Property Council of Australia WA Division about the possibility of Perth making a bid, SportWest chief executive Matt Fulton acknowledged the Games would have significant cultural and economic value for city.
Still, he said SportWest didn’t support Perth hosting the 2026 event.
“We have a one in a 60-year opportunity to host a Games like this,” he said.
“Hosting it in 2030 and beyond probably has more benefit to us as a state.”
Among concerns listed by Mr Fulton was the relatively brief five-year lead time to develop requisite infrastructure.
“We’d be looking at patching up what already exists,” he said.
“HBF swimming pool would probably be the only location that you could hold an event like that.
“They’d need to bump in some extra seating, there’d need to do extra work [and] there’s going to be some temporary stuff that gets taken away.
“What we’d like to see is legacy pieces left; a new stadium swimming facility built that can last the next 20, 30 years.
“That timeframe just won’t give us the potential to do that.”
Mr Fulton also expressed concern about the impact a 2026 bid would have on athletes, arguing it would not encourage grassroots participation given the athletes that would compete are likely to already be training at an elite level.
He indicated he could yet support a bid for the 2030 event, given its proximity to the 2032 Olympic Games, which will be hosted in Brisbane.
“I say this purely through a sporting lens … 2026 probably isn’t the best year, and we wouldn’t be supportive of [WA bidding for the event],” he said.
Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games on four occasions, the latest being in 2018 when it was held in Gold Coast.
The event will next be held in Birmingham, UK, with Sydney among possible suitors for the 2026 games.
