Victoria backed to ‘do something a bit different’ for 2026 Commonwealth Games

Victoria have been backed to host an “innovative” Commonwealth Games with multiple village sites after discussions were opened with the Australian state about holding the quadrennial event in 2026.

An announcement by the Commonwealth Games Federation on Tuesday revealed an exclusive dialogue period had been entered between the governing body, the south-eastern Australia state and Commonwealth Games Australia.

It means Victoria are in pole position to host the 2026 Games, with new CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir set to visit the state on Monday for a two-week trip with the expectation the multi-sport event will head Down Under for a sixth time.

Sadleir told the PA news agency: “We have just gone through a major milestone in signing a heads of agreement to talk about an exclusive negotiation and discussion period over the next two months with the State of Victoria and Commonwealth Games Australia, which is really exciting.

“They came to meet with us pre-Christmas to talk about their vision for where they wanted to pitch in terms of an innovative new Games which was very much aligned with what we came out with for the 2026/2030 roadmap. From all sides, it is a great opportunity to do something a bit different.”

A new strategic roadmap was announced by the governing body in October which would allow hosts of the 2026 and 2030 Games greater flexibility in choosing suitable programmes, with only athletics and swimming made compulsory sports.

The provision of a bespoke athletes’ village was also deemed no longer a requirement, with a greater desire for ready-made facilities to be used.

“One of the real challenges when people host multi-sport events of this nature is they spend significant amounts of money on capex build but