# AUSTRALIA - COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2018



## matchu001 (Nov 5, 2013)

Did a quick search on this and could only find threads on the bidding process in the stadiums and sports arenas sub-forum. If you don't know, the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Queensland's capital city of Brisbane has previous hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1982. Now lets look at what will be built for the event.

Carrara Stadium, Carrara, currently 25,000 (to be upgraded to 40,000)









Now a render of what the stadium should look like in games mode.








Events: Athletics, Opening and Closing Ceremonies


Robina Stadium, Robina, 27,400








Events: Rugby 7s


Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Southport, 10,000








Events: Swimming, Diving


Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Broadbeach, 5,269








Events: Netball


Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre, Carrara, 2,500








Events: Badminton


Here is an artist's impression of the sports precinct planned for Carrara:


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## Denjiro (Jun 18, 2012)

Cool. :happy:


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## adeaide (Sep 16, 2008)




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## Melb_aviator (Aug 28, 2007)

Its just a pity the event is diminishing in value each year really.

As more regional and world events are played, this becomes ever more meaningless in the eyes of many athletes and the general public.

The GC seems to be investing fairly wisely in its facilities which is a good platform to work from, but overall, as most cities that have hosted this event will say, the returns are marginal at best.


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## adeaide (Sep 16, 2008)

Now, as seen above




























After




















another design


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## matchu001 (Nov 5, 2013)

adeaide said:


> After
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They are all different designs. If I'm not mistaken, the third picture is actually what the stadium would be turned into if Australia had won the rights to host the FIFA World Cup. I'm not sure about the first and second designs though. Perhaps the second design is what the stadium will look like post Comm Games? It's deceiving because it has the running track for the athletics but there would be a difference in capacity between the first and second design?


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Melb_aviator said:


> Its just a pity the event is diminishing in value each year really.


The last CWG wasn't even televised here in Canada. I doubt more than 5% of Canadians even knew it was taking place.


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## _X_ (Oct 24, 2009)

isaidso said:


> The last CWG wasn't even televised here in Canada. I doubt more than 5% of Canadians even knew it was taking place.


No doubt 5% of Australians knew about it but only 5% of that lot really gave a flying toss.
A wonderful lobbying opportunity for the AFL to build a ground for them that never needed expansion-nothing more and nothing less


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## HoldenV8 (Jul 18, 2005)

The interior of the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre to be used for netball.










The photo isn't edited at all. This is how it appeared during the 2011 ANZ Championship Netball semi-final between the Queensland Firebirds and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic (image courtesy of SMP Images).


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## vanbasten88 (Sep 22, 2009)

_X_ said:


> No doubt 5% of Australians knew about it but only 5% of that lot really gave a flying toss.
> A wonderful *lobbying opportunity for the AFL to build a ground for them* that never needed expansion-nothing more and nothing less


The AFL are brilliant at piggy backing on these things to get new or upgraded stadia for their sport. From the 2000 Olympics they got a stand at the MCG upgraded and a redeveloped 'gabba. Soccer.football only got Hindmarsh stadium as a dedicated post-games facility. Now Suncorp (built for Rugby League, used by Soccer, League and Union) is too big for Brisbane Roar; there isn't a 12-15,000 seat facility in Brisbane which would be perfect for the A-League as it grows from the NSL level to whereit is now. it would have been amazing to see a boutique hindmarsh-type stadium in Brisbane. The legacy from an Australian FIFA World Cup most certainly wouldn't have been for Soccer.Football.:bash:hno:


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## Lord David (May 23, 2009)

Umm the MCG was never upgraded for the 2000 Olympics. The new stand was built for the 2006 Commonwealth Games where the then existing Member's, Olympic and Ponsford stands were demolished to make way for the new northern stand.

At the time of the 2000 Olympics or late 90's, the old stands already had individual seating due to ad-hoc refurbishing for the 1992 Cricket World Cup. It was the concessions within them etc which were aging and the 2006 Commonwealth Games gave a good opportunity to replace the old stands with something modern.


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## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

vanbasten88 said:


> ... *there isn't a 12-15,000 seat facility in Brisbane which would be perfect for the A-League* as it grows from the NSL level to whereit is now. it would have been amazing to see a boutique hindmarsh-type stadium in Brisbane. The legacy from an Australian FIFA World Cup most certainly wouldn't have been for Soccer.Football.:bash:hno:


What about Ballymore? 
Seats 25000?


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## HoldenV8 (Jul 18, 2005)

Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane is a rugby union ground which has a current capacity of 24,000 and would be perfect for the Roar if Suncorp is considered too big. The ground was the home of state and international union matches in Brisbane until they started playing at Suncorp in the 1996 due to its larger capacity (back then Suncorp looked totally different and had a capacity of around 42,000, while the largest crowd at Ballymore in the 1990s was a jam packed 28,878 for an Australia vs South Africa test in 1993).

A few years ago the Brisbane Roar did sign a contract to play out of Ballymore for 2 seasons but they ended up staying at Suncorp.


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## _X_ (Oct 24, 2009)

Lord David said:


> Umm the MCG was never upgraded for the 2000 Olympics. The new stand was built for the 2006 Commonwealth Games where the then existing Member's, Olympic and Ponsford stands were demolished to make way for the new northern stand.
> 
> At the time of the 2000 Olympics or late 90's, the old stands already had individual seating due to ad-hoc refurbishing for the 1992 Cricket World Cup. It was the concessions within them etc which were aging and the 2006 Commonwealth Games gave a good opportunity to replace the old stands with something modern.


Point remains that the AFL have received billions of dollars of infrastructure on the back of events that AREN'T AFL
Biggest question is just how many billion is it?


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## Lord David (May 23, 2009)

So what? The NRL has gotten it's fair share too. What's the big deal? So what if these are required developments for one off events which are beneficial to other sports in the long run?

I suppose if Gold Coast were to keep the 40,000 capacity venue, it could be used for major cricket test matches too.

I suppose you could "punish" the AFL by having such one off event infrastructure just temporary, but that's just silly. Our World Cup bid offered many venues that would have benefited the AFL/NRL and A-League too.

It should also be noted that the MCG is the MCG for a reason. It hosts cricket too, even if the AFL is it's main tenant. 

So there's really no question on the billions spent on sporting infrastructure if everyone's there to benefit. Just because say the AFL take a huge chunk of it... otherwise you'd be left with white elephants for most of the year.


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## _X_ (Oct 24, 2009)

:nuts:

Justify the hundreds of millions spent on 3 grounds for a then non existent AFL team that will never have a substantial following


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

_X_ said:


> :nuts:
> 
> Justify the hundreds of millions spent on 3 grounds for a then non existent AFL team that will never have a substantial following


Unlike the millions wasted on Geelong's stadium when there are two perfectly good stadiums up the road in Melbourne?


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

So yeah, Commonwealth Games...


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## _X_ (Oct 24, 2009)

Calvin W said:


> Unlike the millions wasted on Geelong's stadium when there are two perfectly good stadiums up the road in Melbourne?


Absolutely agree.And to think there are plans to expand to 54k or so in the future which is a third of the population size of Geelong:nuts:.Absolutely pathetic.
The light towers can be seen from at least 15 kms awayhno: and the lighting ,when on, totally lights up the surrounding suburbs which is ridiculous and totally unfair on the residents
Total waste, as is much of the other investment that the AFL have profited from.
How did Collingwood end up with Olympic Park and the Olympic Pool????????


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## Lord David (May 23, 2009)

Calvin W said:


> Unlike the millions wasted on Geelong's stadium when there are two perfectly good stadiums up the road in Melbourne?


It's Geelong's home ground, always has been. The legacy of the old VFL stadiums, where it had a decent capacity back then too. Hey they have a successful club, with the funds to renovate such a stadium, so why not?

Not to mention that it has been noted that other Melbourne based clubs could potentially earn more money if they used Geelong's Kardinia Park as their home ground for matches.

The lighting towers were a necessity, as to allow for night matches.

I wouldn't necessarily call it a waste if it's genuinely used (and making profit) for one of the best teams in the AFL, not to mention the football league in Geelong and surrounds.

And it's always ready for a World Cup, especially if all upgrades are done by then.


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## Marvo (May 12, 2010)

Opening ceremony	4 April 2018
Closing ceremony	15 April 2018

So end of Australian Summer 


Commonwealth Games are a big deal in Commonwealth countries, most counties treat it as a 'pre-olympic' event as they are scheduled 2 years before the next summer Olympics. 

It has fallen on hard times of late due to the hosting costs of these large multi event games - construction, security, housing etc - sad really, growing up in a comm country it was a welcome relief to traditional sports and a mini-olympic event without having to wait for 4 years.


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## Lord David (May 23, 2009)

The only true way to make cities and nations excited about the Commonwealth Games again is to have a complete list of sports that will be played at all Commonwealth Games from now on. You have more Commonwealth friendly sports like Cricket and Football. As for the main stadium, decrease the capacity to 25,000. If various regions can have their own mini-Olympics, with way more sports on offer than the Commonwealth Games, then I'm sure the Commonwealth Games can do the same.

In addition to this, have disabled sports in their own edition, much like the Paralympics and other regional games. A week long event after the 2 week Commonwealth Games, will offer clear exposure for those athletes, as well as an additional 2 ceremonies.


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## CharlieP (Sep 12, 2002)

Lord David said:


> The only true way to make cities and nations excited about the Commonwealth Games again is to have a complete list of sports that will be played at all Commonwealth Games from now on. You have more Commonwealth friendly sports like Cricket and Football.


Depends which kind of football you mean. If you're talking about soccer, it would be a really poor choice in my opinion - firstly only the mid-ranked countries like Jamaica and Cameroon would take it seriously, with the Home Nations more worried about the European Championships and great swathes of the Commonwealth with no real soccer presence (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Canada, Fiji etc.), and secondly it wouldn't fit into a fortnight-long tournament as well as Twenty20 cricket or rugby sevens.


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

Cricket and soccer to pad the Aussie medal count? How about AFL as well?

We should have a winter version of the Commonwealth games. Hockey, curling, skiing, etc....


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## swifty78 (Nov 10, 2002)

^^ Canada would win everything if that were the case lol


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## CharlieP (Sep 12, 2002)

Calvin W said:


> Cricket and soccer to pad the Aussie medal count?


Cricket would be genuinely competitive, and it's a shame it was dropped after just one Games. Look at the number of different sides that have finished in the top 4 in the World Cup, Champions Trophy and World Twenty20.


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## Marsupalami (Jan 29, 2009)

South Africa actually won the cricket gold in Malaysia that time, so HA..Ha...Ha. to those who lable us chokers ;P


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## Juanpabloangel (Jun 7, 2015)

Yes it would be good to have T20 cricket at the Commonwealth games... now we have rugby sevens at the Olympics, that would be good too. 

How about a Commonwealth Winter program... but Canada v everyone else, in Canada with all the great facilities that they have and we get enough competitors from the rest of the countries to form a united team! Just a nice big friendly party!


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## CharlieP (Sep 12, 2002)

Juanpabloangel said:


> How about a Commonwealth Winter program... but Canada v everyone else


Canada would still win almost everything. :lol:


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## RMB2007 (Apr 1, 2007)

> THE TRANSFORMATION of Metricon Stadium is accelerating ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, with Gold Coast's AFL home preparing to welcome some of the world's best athletes.
> 
> Metricon Stadium will host the Games' opening ceremony on April 4 next year, as well as seven days of track and field competition and the closing ceremony on April 15.
> 
> ...


www.afl.com.au/news/2017-11-23/metricon-transforming-for-comm-games


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## RMB2007 (Apr 1, 2007)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/


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## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

The Commonwealth Games start tomorrow, here's some drone footage of the Gold Coast's Commonwealth Games venues


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## SurfRail (Oct 16, 2012)

Opening Ceremony seemed to go pretty well.


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## MikeC9180 (Mar 23, 2015)

Off topic but I hope you'll forgive me; anyone know of a trust worthy streaming service that I can watch the CG on from Sweden?

No coverage on the usual channels


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## PaulRubens (Oct 22, 2014)

MikeC9180 said:


> Off topic but I hope you'll forgive me; anyone know of a trust worthy streaming service that I can watch the CG on from Sweden?
> 
> No coverage on the usual channels


This says a lot of the popularity of these games.


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

MikeC9180 said:


> Off topic but I hope you'll forgive me; anyone know of a trust worthy streaming service that I can watch the CG on from Sweden?
> 
> No coverage on the usual channels


See if Watch ESPN works for you, they've got the American rights and it might not be protected in countries where no one has them. Worth a shot, no legal issues either since they're a legit provider.


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## Juanpabloangel (Jun 7, 2015)

I am working at the games and they are going fairly well. Lots of people enjoying the sport, even the lesser anticipated ones. The majority of the catering staff had their rosters cut almost completely in Metricon yesterday, so a little bit of work on the organisation side... same with the transport, where a lot of the transport staff weren't briefed properly. Hence people arriving and not knowing where to go!


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## OlympicMarcus (Apr 24, 2015)

PaulRubens said:


> This says a lot of the popularity of these games.


Not really, most of the interest in the Commonwealth Games comes from Commonwealth countries. Lots of coverage of the games here in the UK, stadiums all look full (even in morning sessions).


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

OlympicMarcus said:


> Not really, most of the interest in the Commonwealth Games comes from Commonwealth countries. Lots of coverage of the games here in the UK, stadiums all look full (even in morning sessions).


CBC does a 1 hour weekend wrap up of the Commonwealth Games but that's the extent of coverage in Canada. None of the sports casts are covering it; not even a mention if Canadians win. 

1998 Kuala Lumpur was the last time Canadian media bothered covering the Commonwealth Games. Practically no one watches or cares about them. I bet 90% of Canadians don't even know that they're going on. 50% or more wouldn't know what the Commonwealth Games are.

I doesn't help that we send a lot of 'B' teams/athletes to this event. The men's basketball team can't even be considered a 'B' team. Perhaps a 'D' or an 'E' team. Canada Basketball sent a group of university players. Even there they don't represent our best university talent. We could have fielded 2-3 university teams stronger than this one.

I don't know why they bothered sending a team at all. It seems like they were more interested in just making an appearance.


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

It's like the US with the PanAms, they use it as a chance to get other people international experience.


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