Geelong Grammar has thrown the Victorian Government a lifeline, agreeing to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games using its existing Olympic swimming centre, athletics stadium, velodrome and equestrian arena.
The school beat competing bids from Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar and The Kings School in Sydney.
A spokesperson for Geelong Grammar said the school’s gymnastics stadium and water polo arena would require minor repainting, but otherwise all venues were ready to go. “We will need to build a grandstand for our volleyball facility obviously, and we’ll probably want a second golf course for players to practice on. But both of those projects have been green-lit in our 2023/24 budget anyway,” he said.
Premier Dan Andrews acknowledged that hosting international sporting events was not financially viable for state and federal governments in today’s economic climate. “Increasingly we’ll be looking to government-funded private schools to host events such as these,” he said.
