BALLARAT is perfectly positioned to assist Melbourne should Victoria's capital be asked to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
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Reports of an SOS from the Commonwealth Games Federation for a host city for 2026 have shone a favourable light on Melbourne and regional Victoria's sporting infrastructure and it's cities like Ballarat that have come up trumps.
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While the MCG is no doubt the centre of attention, as it was in 2006 for athletics, there are many other sports that will require venues.
Twenty20 Cricket would certainly need a home, meaning Mars Stadium and Kardinia Park in Geelong, with their broadcast facilities, would be the perfect staging.
3x3 basketball would fit nicely into the new Ballarat Sports and Events Centre as would netball.
Ballarat is also a cycling city, with the criterium course on Sturt Street the perfect venue for that event, while the road race could be considered for the Mount Buninyong course or potentially the Great Ocean Road. Creswick would also be the prime candidate to host the mountain biking.
Other indoor sports such as badminton, boxing, judo, squash, wrestling and weightlifting could easily be accommodated if required.
Interestingly, the Commonwealth Games has not included rowing since 1986, but Lake Wendouree's 2km course would be the prime candidate to host any regatta involving rowing or kayaking.
The potential for such an international event should not be wasted and would showcase Ballarat and regional Victoria right around the world, remember Ballarat is one of a number of cities backing a World Heritage listing for the Goldfields region, this attention could only increase that opportunity.
The Commonwealth Games could also provide a stimulus for even further spending in regional Victoria, something state and federal governments, both in an election year, should have very much on their agenda.
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