2018 Commonwealth Games
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The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Gold Coast 2018, is an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that will be held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia between 4 and 15 April 2018. The winning bid was announced in Basseterre, Saint Kitts on 11 November 2011. It will be the fifth time Australia has hosted the Commonwealth Games.
Host city selection process
On 22 August 2008, the Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, officially launched Gold Coast City's bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018. On 7 April 2009, the ABC reported a land exchange deal between Gold Coast City and State of Queensland for Carrara Stadium. According to Mayor Ron Clarke, the land would aid a potential bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The land exchanged would be used as the site of an aquatics centre. In the same article, Mayor Clarke raised the question of the Australian Federal Government's commitment to a 2018 Commonwealth Games bid in light of the Government's support for Australia's 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals bid.[1] On 16 April 2009, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told reporters that a successful Commonwealth Games bid by Gold Coast City could help the tourist strip win a role in hosting the World Cup.[2]
"Some of the infrastructure that would be built for the Commonwealth Games will be useful for Gold Coast City to get a World Cup game out of the soccer World Cup if we're successful as a nation," she said. However the decision on the venues for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were made eleven months prior to the bid decision for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, so the potential World Cup venues had already been chosen. On 3 June 2009, Gold Coast City was confirmed as Australia's exclusive bidder vying for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[3] "Should a bid proceed, Gold Coast City will have the exclusive Australian rights to bid as host city for 2018," Bligh stated.
"Recently I met with the president and CEO of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association and we agreed to commission a full and comprehensive feasibility study into the potential for the 2018 Commonwealth Games," she said. "Under the stewardship of Queensland Events new chair, Mr Geoff Dixon, that study is now well advanced." On 15 March 2010, it was announced that the Queensland Government will provide initial funding of A$11 million for the 2018 Commonwealth Games bid. The Premier of Queensland has indicated the Government's support for the bid to the Australian Commonwealth Games Association.[4] On 31 March 2010, the Australian Commonwealth Games Association officially launched the bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[5] In October 2011, Gold Coast City Mayor Ron Clarke stated that the games would provide a strong legacy for the city after the games have ended.[6]
On 31 March 2010, a surprise bid was made for the 2018 Commonwealth Games by the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota. Hambantota was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and is undergoing a major face lift. The first phase of the Port of Hambantota is nearing completion and it is funded by the government of China. The Mattala International Airport, which is the second international Airport of Sri Lanka is built close to Hambantota. A new Hambantota International Cricket Stadium had also been built, which had hosted matches in the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
On 10 November, the Hambantota bidders claimed they had already secured enough votes to win the hosting rights.[7] However, on 11 November it was officially announced Gold Coast City had won the rights to host the games.[8][9]
| 2018 Commonwealth Games bidding results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| City | Country | Votes | |
| Gold Coast City |  Australia |
43 | |
| Hambantota |  Sri Lanka |
27 | |
Administration
In February 2012, Mark Peters was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Gold Coast City 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation.[10] The Queensland Government Minister tasked with overseeing the Games is Stirling Hinchliffe.
Preparation
Venues
One of the key technical aspects of Gold Coast City's successful bid was the fact that the city already has 80 percent of the planned venues in place. The vast majority of venues are located within 20-minutes driving time of the Athletes Village in Parkwood and are broadly grouped into three areas; Central Gold Coast City, North Gold Coast City and South Gold Coast City. The only sports that will be held outside of Gold Coast City will be track cycling and the preliminary rounds of Basketball which will be held in Brisbane and Cairns/Townsville respectively, along with the shooting which will be held in neighbouring Belmont.[11]
Transport
The Gold Coast light rail system, will directly connect a number of the key games venues including the Gold Coast City Aquatic Centre, Broadwater Parklands and the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre with the major accommodation centres of Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach and the proposed Athletes Village at Parklands. An extension to the system was announced in October 2015, connecting the current terminus at Gold Coast University Hospital to the railway line to Brisbane at Helensvale. The extension is expected to open before the games.[12]
Participating nations
There are 70 participating nations scheduled to compete at 2018 Commonwealth Games.[13] Maldives were scheduled to participate, but in October 2016, they withdrew from the Commonwealth.[14]
Sports
The current regulations state that from the 26 approved sports administered by Commonwealth Governing Bodies, a minimum of ten core sports and maximum of seventeen sports must be included in any Commonwealth Games schedule. The current approved sports include the 10 core sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, netball (for women), rugby sevens, squash, swimming and weightlifting. Integrated disabled competitions are also proposed for the Games in several events including: swimming, athletics, cycling, table tennis, cycling, powerlifting, triathlon and lawn bowls, with the medals being added to the final tally for each nation. A record 38 para events will be contested at these games.[15] On March 8, 2016 Beach Volleyball was announced as the 18th sport.[16]
The program will be broadly similar to that of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, with the major changes the dropping of judo, the reintroduction of basketball, the debut of women's rugby sevens and beach volleyball.[17]
On 7 October 2016, it was announced seven new events for women were added to the sport program, meaning there will be an equal amount of events for men and women. This marks the first time in history that a major multi-sport event will have equality in terms of events. In total 275 events events in 18 sports will be contested.[18][19]
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each sport.
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Marketing
Mascot
See also
References
- ^ "Gold Coast eyes 2018 Games bid with land swap". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 April 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ "Bligh pushes bids for Games, World Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 April 2009.
- ^ "Gold Coast gets sole right to bid for 2018 Commonwealth Games". Brisbane Times. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Lappeman, Sue (15 March 2010). "Coast Games bid up and running". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Lappeman, Sue (31 March 2010). "Coast Commonwealth Games bid backed". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ^ Degun, Tom (23 October 2011). "Legacy benefits to Gold Coast of 2018 Commonwealth Games will be huge, says city's Mayor". Inside the Games. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Ardern, Lucy (11 November 2011). "Sri Lanka boasting of Games bid win". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ "Candidate City Manual" (PDF). Commonwealth Games Federation. December 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Ardern, Lucy (13 November 2011). "Coast wins 2018 Commonwealth Games". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Willoughby,, Shannon. "Mark Peters named as Games CEO". Gold Coast News, 18 February 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ "Sporting venues". Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ "Stage two of Gold Coast light rail on track for Commonwealth Games". Queensland Government. 11 October 2015.
- ^ "71 Nations and Territories. 6 Continents. 2 Billion citizens. 1 commonwealth family". www.gc2018.com/. Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ Mackay, Duncan. "Maldives set to miss Gold Coast 2018 after resigning from Commonwealth". www.insidethegames.biz/. Dunsar Media. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Gold Coast 2018 to host largest Commonwealth para-sport programme". www.paralympic.org/. International Paralympic Committee. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "Exclusive: Beach volleyball to be played at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ^ "Women's rugby added to Commonwealth Games". www.sportsnet.ca/. Rogers Media. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "Level playing field for women at 2018 Commonwealth Games". The Scotsman. Edinburgh, Scotland. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- ^ McKay, Duncan (7 October 2016). "Gold Coast 2018 to offer same amount of medals for men and women after seven events added". Insidethegames.biz. Dunsar Media. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
External links
| Preceded by Glasgow 2014 |
Gold Coast Host City XXI Commonwealth Games |
Succeeded by Durban 2022 |
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