Commonwealth Games chiefs blast Daniel Andrews as shock claims come to light

The Commonwealth Games Federation has accused Daniel Andrews and the Victorian government of a 'gross exaggeration' in their estimate that the event would have cost up to $7 billion. Mr Andrews announced the shock news on Tuesday that Victoria will no longer host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to budget issues.

The government had initially estimated that the Games would cost $2.6 billion, and were set to be hosted in regional hubs around the state rather than in Melbourne. But Mr Andrews said on Tuesday that the figure was more in the region of $6-7 billion. "Frankly, $6b to $7b for a 12-day sporting event, we are not doing that," he said. "That does not represent value for money, that is all costs and no benefit."

HUGE CALL: Aussies in shock 11-year first for fourth Ashes Test

'BIT DIRTY': Aussies at centre of 'awful' drama in women's Ashes finale

Commonwealth Games leadership has been left fuming over the decision, with CGF boss Craig Phillips levelling a number of stunning claims against Mr Andrews. The CGF said the government did not discuss alternate solutions with it and accused the state of adding considerable expense to the price tag by including more sports and a fifth hub in Shepparton - on top of ones in Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland.

Mr Phillips said the forecast cost overruns were a "gross exaggeration" and the government didn't seriously consider other options. "The Victorian government ignored recommendations to move events to purpose-built stadiums in Melbourne and remained wedded to temporary expensive venues in regional Victoria," he said. "I would be very careful if I was an international sporting body coming in and doing business in this state in the future."

Asked about the government claim that even if the Games were held in Melbourne, they would still cost $4 billion, he replied: "I find that a little hard to believe. It's their own homework they're marking."

The $7 billion figure would have made the Victoria Games the most expensive in history, by some margin. The most expensive Commonwealth Games ever were in Delhi in 2010 - at an estimated cost of US$4.1 billion.

The 2022 Games in Birmingham were delivered at a cost of $1.5b, while the 2018 Games on the Gold Coast cost $1.8b.

Victorian government under fire over Commonwealth Games call

CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir was also left fuming at the lack of notice provided by the government. “To find out with eight hours notice a decision made like this with no ability for the board, no opportunity or debate or ability to look at options, it is very difficult to express in words,’’ she told The Australian.

“We are in shock, it is incredibly disappointing … there has not been a lot of time to get our heads lined up about the implications, but it is really disappointing for aspiring athletes and our organising teams. They were well advanced in planning and preparation.’’

Ms Sadleir said the Victorian Government had been warned on a number of occasions about how their regional model would affect costs. “When Victoria came to us, and it’s important to stress that they came to us, they said they saw an opportunity to employ a dispersed model, using multiple cities across the state, to drive economic growth in their region," she told The Times.

“As prices started to go up, we questioned whether or not they were making the right decisions as part of their unique regional development model. And they assured us that they had the money they needed. So to hear yesterday that it’s not the case, that the government has decided it was too expensive, was a surprise.”

Australian states and territories rule out hosting Games

International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president John Coates told The Australian he was always sceptical of the regional model. “This is a terrible embarrassment to Australian sport,” the Aussie said.

“We shouldn’t be bidding for events unless we know that we have the necessary commitments and support of the various governments – and unless the business case stacks up...clearly though from what Daniel Andrews is telling us now, it didn’t – and it didn’t support [the business case]."

When asked about the future of the Games and whether they would be relocated, Mr Phillips said: "We know there is strong interest in the Games and strong love of the Games here in Australia. We'll re-set after this and move on, and look to see whether we can continue to be the host nation for 2026."

However NSW Premier Chris Minns said his state was not in a position due to record debt, while Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk said she was focused on the 2032 Olympics. Western Australian counterpart Roger Cook said he would prefer to invest money in schools and hospitals, while South Australia, the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory also ruled out taking on hosting duties.

with AAP

Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.