Legacy. This was the word which freely rolled off the tongue after Ballarat learned on Tuesday it will be a pivotal part of the Victorian regional-based 2026 Commonwealth Games.
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Being the home of track and field, boxing and women's twenty20 cricket is massive news in itself, but it is much more than that.
The immediate benefits for the Ballarat region will be numerous, but it will be the legacy that the Games leave by way of new and expanded infrastructure, financial gains and worldwide exposure that will be long lasting.
Look at the legacy Ballarat has had from being the home of rowing and canoeing in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
The special distinction remains a talking point almost 70 years on. Ballarat will always be an Olympic city.
Ballarat was also fortunate to be the host venue for some basketball games during the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Of the sports Ballarat has been awarded for 2026, athletics is the jewel in the crown and will be the one to leave the biggest physical legacy for the Ballarat sporting community.
As well as getting an even grander Mars Stadium, a warm-up track will need to be developed in the same vicinity.
This potentially could become the new home of track and field in the city.
Ballarat Regional Athletic Centre's Llanberris complex has served the city well, but there are constraints on its development owing to its location in a residential area. And an upgrade would not come cheap.
Here's what could be a once in a life-time opportunity to take track and field in Ballarat to another level.
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