Actsport board member Graham Carter is heading a team to assess Canberra’s infrastructure and sporting facilities ahead of a possible bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Carter said, “the advances needed to hold the Commonwealth Games could be incorporated into improvements that will occur naturally between now and 2022. The Games would act as a lever to ensure Canberra gets the best facilities in the coming years”
He added, “what we need for this to occur is a change in the delivery of the Commonwealth Games model. They’ve tended to go for larger cities in the past. A city of our size has never been successful. But there is a sense that the Commonwealth Games organizational body is looking at long-term approaches to the Games and looking at different models including regional centres like Canberra”.
Andrew Barr, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, said if initial research looked positive the Government would be happy to support an in-depth study.
He said, “before anything major could go ahead we’d need an indication that the Commonwealth Games would be prepared to accept a regional model for the host city. We’re definitely off to a good start, though. We’re better placed than any other city of our size”.
Carter agrees Canberra’s existing facilities form a good base for the Games and said the swimming facility could be built in Gungahlin where this is no public pool; the velodrome as Mount Stromlo, adding to it’s world calls facilities; and a Commonwealth Games Village could be incorporated into planned new suburbs. He said the main stadium could “obviously” be at Canberra Stadium in Bruce”.
