Victoria at centre of historic Commonwealth Games announcement

Victoria will play host to what state premier Daniel Andrews has dubbed the 'regional Victoria Games' after they were the only bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

While Melbourne will play host to the Opening Ceremony, a substantial number of events have been slated to take place outside the state capital in a bid to increase regional tourism.

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The Victorian Government was the only body to bid for the 2026 Games, with Andrews announcing the Games on Tuesday morning.

Regional hubs will be established in Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland, each of which will host an athletes' village, while Shepparton will also play host to certain events.

A list of 16 sports has already been selected, with Commonwealth Games Federation president Dame Louise Martin saying more would be added later.

The initial list includes rugby sevens and T20 cricket.

Premier Andrews talked up the games as and event 'like no other'.

"It will be the greatest spotlight, the greatest showcase of all that we have to offer," he told reporters in Ballarat.

“It’s a showcase of all that we do so well. It’s about jobs. It’s about setting our state up for the future.

“We know that when regional Victoria is doing well, Victoria is doing well.”

It is the first time the Commonwealth Games have been awarded to a state or region in its 92-year history, usually selecting a city instead.

Hosting rights for the 2026 event hit the market after the English midlands city of Birmingham replaced South Africa's Durban as host of the 2022 Games, to be held from July 28 to August 8.

With no other bidders, Victoria was considered a strong favourite to secure the event after the state government entered exclusive negotiations with the Games' governing body in February.

The Games last came to Victoria in 2006, when Melbourne played host. It is the sixth time the event has been held in Australia, most recently on the Gold Coast in 2018.

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Geelong is set to be the largest of the four regional hubs, playing host to the swimming, diving, gymnastics, hockey, table tennis, triathlon and beach volleyball.

Athletics and boxing events will be based out of Ballarat, while badminton and cycling will go ahead in Gippsland.

Bendigo will host the lawn bowls, netball, squash and weightlifting events, with other events such as T20 cricket to be shared between a variety of locations.

It is expected that the preparation and running of the Commonwealth Games should create thousands of jobs.

Roughly 600 will be created in order to prepare for the 2026 event, with an additional 3900 brought on for the running of the Games.

The state government hopes another 3000 will be in place after the closing ceremony.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the Victorian Liberal/Nationals supported the concept of a regional-focused Commonwealth Games in principle.

"We don't support just a blank cheque to do anything at anytime but what we do support is a sensible plan to go forward," he said.

The costs of hosting the Games will be revealed in the upcoming state budget, due to be released on May 3.

With AAP

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