October 9, 2023 • 33 mins
Back in July, Victoria cancelled its plans to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in a shock move that stunned the sports world. The event remains in limbo, as do the athletes, administrators and everyday Victorians. So what happened? This week, we recap all the drama so far, and what it means for the future of the Comm Games.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Two Good Sports would like to acknowledge the traditional owners
of the land on which we record this podcast that
will run dry people. This land was never seated, always was,
always will be. Hello and welcome to two Good Sports
sports news tolds differently.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm Georgie Tie and I'm Abbie Jelmy And on today's show, Georgie.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Will anyone save the Commonwealth Game?
Speaker 4 (00:25):
As?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Do we care? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Do we want it to be sa?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
You and I care?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
We do?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
But does everyone else care? Because it feels like there's
headlines and yet no one's really talking about it. In
one of the great kerfuffles, I'd say that's ever happened
in Australian sport.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Kerfuffle is an amazing word. I love it's use here
because it is a duel in many of our most
decorated athletes crowns. We think of Australia being the ultimate
sporting nation. The Commonwealth Games is where we win millions
of medals. So why has Australia blown up its hosting rights?
Back in July, the Victorian government counseled its plans to
(01:02):
host the Games. We're going to delve into the fallout
and what led up to that. Particular moment and give
our thoughts measured as always, and opinions about whether we think.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
It was the right call, and in July it was everywhere. Yes.
But we are months down the track. Yeah, we still
don't have a host. The athletes are still left scratching
their heads and there are numbers associated with this that
still don't make any sense. So get a bit of paper,
get a pen, because we're about to give you all
the facts and just what is happening here. But do
(01:34):
we headline first?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Headline first? Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Ah, dear listener, remember when we were talking about the
Wallabies and the World Cup and just how dead they were,
how dead and almost buried, and we pointed out that
maybe their campaign could survive and they make it out
of the group stages.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
If Portugal, which had never won Rugby World Cup match,
defeated Fiji, who had defeated the Wallabies for the first
time in sixty nine years, it was convoluted. There was
a lot against them and against us as Wallabies fans
making it through to the next round.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Portugal defeated Fiji, it's just the most ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. If it was a film, you'd say,
absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Twenty four points to twenty three to win their first
Rugby World Cup match. Ever, it's the first time they've
been back in this tournament, I think since two thousand
and seven. In Portugal. Right now, if we had a
live feed, they are storming the streets just shouting, crying.
They'd be flares, I'm sure, because this is gigantic.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
However, is Portugal.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
A rugby loving nation enough to have flairs?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
It?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Damn well? Is now?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
It?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Damn well?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Is now?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
All you need is a victory? You just need one.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
But but put the paddles away. Tell me the Wallabies
are still dead. They're still dead, because yes, we need
a Portugal to win. But as is the case with
rugby union and I really really actually can't work it
out in my head sometimes as facts that and figures
that just don't add up. We needed them to win
by a lot more than one point, and we needed
(03:15):
them to win by like many tries. So it was like, yes,
we need Portugal win, ah, we also need them to
win by this much.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
We also needed them to score this many tries.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
So unfortunately we prayed for the miracle we got the miracle,
just not enough. It wasn't enough to get us off
the canvas. That's it.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
So the Wallabies out of the World Cup in the
group stages for the first time in their history.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
There will be so much more to come with this.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Well down Portugal, you tried punintended headline too.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
It's just ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. The players and the spectators
once again are the ones that are left high and dry.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Craig Burley is someone I'd love to have one with
the talk about life because he seems quite animated. Of course,
he is the ESPN commentator and he is not a
big fan of the FIFA World Cup announcement that it
will be taking place George across three continents, the Men's
World Cup in twenty thirty. It's unbelievable and yet completely
believable at the same time because it's FIFA and they
(04:21):
will take your money. But what does this mean? What
does this mean for football? What does this mean for fans? Well,
a a lot of travel. It's going to be Morocco,
Spain and Portugal named as the host nation.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
But technically the hosts right, So those are the three
countries where the majority of the games are going, but.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
The first three games you' Aguay, Argentina and Paraguay. So
they're saying that it's a throwback to the centenary. That
is kind of like playing homage to the fact that
that was where it was hosted in nineteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yes, okay, why not just give them the whole tournament
then money? Yeah, okay, there we go money to it's.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Expensive, it's I think it's a it's desive to host
it all on your own. But hey, if we have
six bitterers and we can take all of your coin.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Can I say a controversial fact here? Because Craig Burly
would not would not be approving of this. He actually
used the word hates Fifat at the moment, like he
used hate such strong language.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I also hope that he's getting escorted to his car.
I know, I know, because I'm very you feel scared
here in Australia to say anything bad about BEEFA. I know.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
I'm worried that producer James is going to just launch
over the desk and get me like, how dare you
say this? I think that as a sports fan and
a happy tourist, I would not mind going to Moroccos
band in Portugal and using the FIFA World Cup as
an excuse for me to get there and to just
work out the travel of going between each different country.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Are you suggesting a World Cup critique?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Ah? Yes, I am, yes, I am. I think so,
a rite of passage?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Would that sounds awesome? How expensive a flight's going to
be during that time?
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Yeah, it would be astronautic.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
The demand for travel and also accommodation and then getting
tickets yes to World Cup. Yes, that is logistically too
much for mine.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Yeah, we also have to make sure that Australia gets
there right, No, because we are talking about the soccer US,
not the Matildas. And I think it would be remiss
not to mention that the twenty twenty seven Women's World
Cup still yet to be decided where that will be hosted.
We should know in May next year. The current bids
South Africa as one, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, hoping
(06:29):
to spread it round Brazil or the US and Mexico.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
It would be fun, though.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Oh, it would be so fun. It would be so fun.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Imagine just waking up and you're in Spain and then
you go to the football and the next day you
somehow teleport to Morocco and I just think fun.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
If you haven't picked up the Georgie's the organizer. Out
of the two of us, you can plan it. I'll
get on the plane. See you in twenty thirty. Great
headline three.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Wonderful catch by Heerley to take the tenth wicket and
the win tonight for Australia here at Ellen Borderfield, and
the series win as.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Well Australian women's cricket team doing Australian women's cricket team things.
It really is. They just win. The girls. They're unbelievable
and Alisa Healy has taken to the captaincy with such
strength and again when you hear about her and then
Mitchell Stark in the same week taking three wickets for Australia, like,
how's your household going?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
I know they're the ultimate sporting power couple.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
They truly are. But the Aussie women have claimed their
first piece of silverware for the summer, because we all
know there's going to be more in a T twenty
series win over the West Indies. They won two to one.
Tim Payne has actually joined as well as an assistant coach.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Interesting the Test captain men's captain.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, so he's in the fold as well, But it's
more just seeing these new talent and the young talent
coming through is so exciting for the Southern Stars that
aren't called the Southern Stars anymore. But I want to
persist with it.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
I know, I always loved when they were called the
Southern Stars. And now what are the Australian women's cricket team.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, in the same way that the men's team doesn't
have a nickname.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Okay, so I kind of get that.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
But also Haley Matthews for the Winders is anytime you
get to watch her is a treat and they've currently
got an ODI series underway. Australia won the first one,
so yeah we did and that's underway and there we did.
Game two is going to be in Melbourne on Thursday.
But especially with the Men's World Cup happening at the moment,
our girls just are so impressive. And if you ever
(08:17):
want to go back to watching Australians just winning and
wiping the floor with cricket, yeah, they're always there. Green
and Gold Armside Open.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I think that you know, if you want to get
a T shirt that just says we just win that's
for the Aussie women. The men, we just win sometimes
because the campaigns not started great. In the ODII World Cup,
that's happening in India at the moment, Australia the first
game taking on the host nation. I mean that is
a huge challenge. Top tip for the Australian men's cricket
(08:46):
team from someone who actually doesn't play cricket. But you
may not want to drop Virat Cohli ever.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
In a game.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I just I'm just throwing it out there. That happened
when Verat Coli was on not so many runs. He
then scored eighty five runs and India won by six wickets.
So you know, lessons learned, Lessons learned.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
There were discussions about the lack of attendance for the opener, Yeah,
because in India you'd imagine that cricket just sells out.
It didn't. It actually looked quite sparse. But of course
India weren't playing, yes, because it was England New Zealand. Yes,
but when India play, you see India in full flight.
There's something special and almost religious about cricket in India
and it's very cool. The question is always when it
(09:26):
comes to an ODI World Cup is the standing of
that format in the game. I still like an ODI, I.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Like it, but I have definitely heard commentary around this
particular World Cup that this may be the last fifty
overs World Cup that we see in men's cricket.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
We'll see them.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
In women's cricket because that's kind of the pinnacle of
that game. It's different, but this could be the final
time that we see one, because is the interest there.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
And the good thing is England are playing like it's
T twenty anyway with baseball, just going hard, So maybe
and that is the format that people want to see
in packet. It is because they're talking about how ynamic
England are even when they played Test cricket and they
just go ham going well, you're gonna win some, you're
gonna lose some, which is all well and good until
you get to the final stages and you genuinely need
to play some crunch cricket. But headline four and we
(10:11):
don't usually do a headline force. So I'm going to
keep this very quick. Olso pstre second podium of the season.
You love to see it. For McLaren it went Verstappen
pistre norris So two McLaren teammates two three on the
podium at the Catter Grand Prix unbelievable. Pstre said it
was probably the hardest race of his life, the little
lossie that could, the little.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Lossie that could with a whole bunch of resources and
millions of dollars behind him.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
But we do love to see it, We do love
pastre fans.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Already excited for the Australian Grand Prix all right still
to come.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
Is it a comprehensive let down for the athletes, the
excited host communities, first nations Australian who are going to
be at the heart of the Games, and the millions
of fans that would have embraced the sixth home Games
here in Australia.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Tough words from the head of the Australian comm Games,
Craig Phillips, for a tough situation. Was canceling the Commonwealth
Games the right call for Australia.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
That's next, the Commonwealth Games, George? Are they to be
any longer now that we don't have a host for
twenty twenty six? But let's establish what are the Commonwealth Games?
(11:22):
First held in nineteen thirty in Canada, they were created
as a means of increasing goodwill and understanding of the
British Empire.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Oh it's not going great.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
No, it's not going great. They've had a few name
changes throughout the years. They went from the British Empire
Games to the British Commonwealth Games and finally settling on
the Commonwealth Games in nineteen seventy eight.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Such innovation with those two us I know.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
The Commonwealth by definition, is an association of sovereign nations
which support each other and work together towards international goals.
It's a voluntary organization. There is fifty two member countries
spanning across Africa, Asia, the Americans, Europe and the Pacific.
And since nineteen thirty the Games have taken place every
four years, obviously alternating from when the Olympics are, except
(12:03):
for in nineteen forty two or nineteen forty six when nah,
little think of World War II mate that they didn't happen.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
So the only thing that has got in the Commonwealth
Games as way has been.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
A World War And now the Andrews government. How do
they differ from the Olympics though, this is important to
establish because I think sometimes people that don't love sport
get a bit confused about what the difference is. We've
just established you need to be part of the Commonwealth,
so it's a limited pool. US China, Russia not there.
Very helpful if you want to win some golf. But
also they include some sports that don't feature in the Olympics.
(12:35):
So when you think of the Aussie diamonds netball winning gold,
you're thinking of the COMM Games. But the thing that
is perhaps most special, to steal a phrase from the
one the only Bruce doesn't need a say name Bruce Macavanni,
just Bruce, is the integration of the power program. Yes,
instead of having the Paralympics separate from the Olympics with
the Commonwealth Games, they are integrated. And it is something
(12:56):
that is so special and incredible and it's just sport,
it's just athletes, and it's something that's done so well
and we saw celebrated in many ways at the Birmingham
Games Australia. We love the con Games. We do even
though the commnwellth for some people might be on the nose.
Do you know what's not on the nose? Winning We
(13:17):
love gold and we absolutely mop up. We've hosted it
five times, the last two being important to note two
thousand and six Melbourne hosted the game not that long ago,
not that long ago, and on the Gold Coast in
twenty eighteen.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
I remember that one.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Yeah, And it was set to be Regional Victoria in
twenty twenty six. And then all the wheels fell off
the respective cart and the cart that no one knows
if it's going to get picked up.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
So right now the wheelers cart is just stuck on
the ground. Because on the twelfth of April twenty twenty two,
that was victory Day shall we call it for the
Comnwealth Games bid for Victoria, including Melbourne and Regional Victoria.
The Daniel Andrews government came out and said, guys, we
needed to step in. We have saved the Commonwealth Games.
(14:07):
We will host it. It will be amazing.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
This was also at the time of an election.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
He also said two point six billion expensive but worth it,
worth it because it's going to be infrastructure for the region.
It was big about a big warm hug for Regional Victoria. Yes,
it was about providing housing in a backward way in
the fact that what would house the athletes would then
become state housing. Yes, and it just had a lot
(14:33):
of big, warm hug excitement about it because Victorians Georgie
love sport, especially in a lead up to an.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Election, and they also love to tell you that they
love sport. They love to tell you that.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Melbourne and Victoria is the home of sport. Fast forward
too the eighteenth of July twenty twenty three, Really not
that long a time, but that was the day that
the Victorian government canceled its plans to host the Commonwealth Games,
claiming the cost of hosting the event was far too high.
Speaker 6 (15:04):
It's not two point six billion dollars. It is, in fact,
at least six billion dollars and could be as high
as seven billion dollars. And I cannot stand here and
say to you that I have any confidence that that
even seven billion dollar number would appropriately and adequately fund
these games.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
You know what it's giving. It's giving the count from
Sesame Street going.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
One two ha Haally, where are these figures coming from?
Speaker 3 (15:32):
How did it blow out this much?
Speaker 2 (15:33):
How when your job is to keep the numbers for
the state, do you go six? Maybe seven? I'm not
even confident that seven is going to be a thing.
How do you cost other events? I'm so confused? And
when you look at the cost of something. Georgie's let's
use a house. When you're looking at a house and
you're going, I wonder how much that will cost, you
look at likehouses that have been in the same sort
(15:55):
of area around the same time.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
So wilful.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
So we have looked at like events. So let's have
a look at other Comnwealth Games. Birmingham costs one point
eight billion dollars oka the Gold Coast, so that's not
so long ago twenty eighteen one point two billion dollars.
And if we want to talk about games held on
the big scale, well, you think Paris has the Olympics
(16:19):
next year? Yeah, how much is that going to cost?
Five billion dollars?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Five billion?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Five billion, that's not seven billion. So that's what French
tax players are paying to hold the Olympic Games. And
apparently our Commonwealth Games blew out from two point six
to six maybe seven. And there's this gaping hole in
the middle where Craig Phillips, who we mentioned is the
head of the Australian Cornwealth Games, has said, show us
(16:45):
your books.
Speaker 5 (16:46):
The state of costs overruns, in our opinion are a
gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs presented
to the Victorian twenty twenty six Organizing Committee Board as
recently as June this year.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
You mentioned June, so on the eighteenth of July was
the cancelation date. On the thirteenth of June, now, Premier
Justinto Allen, who was responsible for the bid for the
Comonwealth Games, said they were making tremendous progress.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Tremendous that's a strong word.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Direct quote, and this is I'm looking an article on
the cover of the Age from this week. On the
fourteenth of June, I e. The next day they sought
legal counsel on how to cancel the games.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Tremendous development in terms of getting one.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Of tremendous how how? And I think the thing that
we're left with is again, this all happened. We're talking
June July. We're now getting to the latest stages of
twenty twenty three, and no one has picked it up.
The athletes are still no closer to any answer. And
that's who I think have been lost in all of this.
If you're an athlete preparing for Commonwealth Games, which is
(17:54):
so important, and you believe you're going to have a
home games, what's happening now.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Especially think back, dear listener.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
As Jelmy mentioned, if you have ever seen a celebration
for the diamonds, it is most likely that that is
a Commonwealth Games. And we're talking twenty twenty six were
the end of twenty twenty three, so in terms of
you know, a lot can happen in three years, but
when you're an athlete, every single day of that three
(18:22):
years matters and it means something. And to kind of
put them in this limbo is so hard, so hard
for the personal athletes. And I'm pulling all athletes in
there because the power athletes and able bodied athletes it's
such a special event for them. But Jellmy, you actually
(18:43):
can't just walk away from a Commonwealth Games bit. You
can't just be like it's like, hey, guys, I'm hosting
the party. Everyone come round, and then an hour beforehand
you're like, shit, I've not done anything.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
We're not having this party anymore. Cancel it. You actually
can't do that.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
There are consequences, and there are consequences when part of
that bid was promising infrastructure yes to taxpayers in regional areas.
So as part of that press conference where we heard
Dan go, well, it's maybe six seven billion. Firstly, he
framed it by going, can't take that money from the
children in the hospitals. Yes, that was the line that
was used, and everyone goes, well no, well, no, no
(19:20):
one wants to do that, to take six or seven
billion dollars maybe from the young or the ill.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Yes, but it's already costed though.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
But when you put your hands up to host something,
what does your word stand for on a global scale?
When you then later go ah, sorry, we didn't do
the numbers. Well, and this just doesn't fly. Yes, so's
that's what's happened here. But there are costs not only
for canceling Comnwealth Games. Bodies of course are going to
ask for a handout because they've been grossly mistreated through
(19:50):
this process.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
And it's quite a big hando. It's not small hand out,
three hundred and eight million dollars.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
But Dan Andrews and the Andrews government had also promised,
don't worry, we're still going to build the infrastructure.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
So they're still bending billions to.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
The value of two billion dollars, yes, right, of which
we already established that the previous games, the last two
didn't cost that much.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
I think that what has been probably other than the
whole cancelation of the Games, but the other biggest thorn
in the Australian Commonwealth Games their governing body side, has
been the lack of transparency or the lack of communication.
Craig Phillips has also gone on the record to say
(20:29):
that the most up to date information that they have
been getting from all of this, a lot of it
has actually come from the media, and they have not
had the conversations. The last conversations that they were privy
to were yeah, we're great, tremendously going well, yeah, going
real well, and then it was like nah, nah, babe,
we're not actually doing it. And I think that when
you are in these positions and these difficult decisions have
(20:50):
to be made. We know that everything is getting more expensive,
we know the inflation, we know the cost of living crisis.
Of course that's going to have an impact, but according
to Phillips, there are solutions to that. We're if you're
still going to be building the two billion dollars worth
of infrastructure in regional Victoria, then why not have the
conversation to at least bring some of the events back
(21:11):
to Melbourne In ready made stadia that are already purpose
built here instead of creating it there, or at.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
The very least when you have the press conference, be
able to stand side by side with Craig Phillips and
say we have worked closely with the Australia.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Because odd now that you say that that is odd.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
You stand and say we have pulled an all lighter.
But it's just got to the point where it's best
for the athletes and best for everyone that we establish
that this is money that we cannot spend. It's giving
I'm going well, narrator, it was not going well.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Well, it's that dog in that meme and the fire. Yeah,
everything is fine.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Do you know what's not fine? The Victorian government's debt
is that of New South Wales, Queensland and has many
a combined. And the Victorian government on the nineteenth of
August has agreed to pay the Comnwealth Games Bodies three
hundred and eighty million dollars to not host.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
So already just been my terrible maths. If we're spending
already the committed to plus billion dollars on the infrastructure
that has already been promised, you add in the three
hundred and eighty billion. We're already at two and a
half billion, so we're nearly at three billion.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
The Women's World Cup was eighty mil Wow to host here.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Unbelievable. And as part of this agreement, clever. None of
the figures can be discussed. Yes, the only thing that
Dan Andrews sort of said in the press conference was
this was a great outcome because we started off galaxies apart.
I'm like, yeah, because they would have been like one
billion dollars place sir, and they finally found something in
the middle. But again, three hundred and eighty million dollars
out of a state government. And then on top of that,
(22:44):
the Victorian police have come out and said we're going
to bill for six million dollars here that we can
add on top of that, because we sent some sergeants
to Birmingham, yeah, to see how that's done. And when
you talk about like these numbers stop having meaning six
million dollars, how many police does that mean could have
been on our streets? Yes, it just loses relevance for mind,
(23:05):
Like you just start talking about these big numbers and
this debt and it just grows and grows, and at
the core of it Unfortunately for sport lovers comes the question, George,
what price tag? Given the cost of living, given insane debts,
the governments around the world, little ande around Australia in
what is the point of hosting sport that is a
(23:29):
financial lemen as it's been described, a moral win but
a financial limen.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Well, I think you can apply that argument to so
many different facets of life, right, It's like, why should
we keep investing in the arts, And it's because ultimately
the arts is where you find fulfillment and the arts
is where you find joy. You can make exactly the
same argument for these events and sport in general. We
saw the overwhelming joy camaraderie the Matilda's were able to
(24:01):
create and I say create because it didn't exist before
we hosted that Women's World Cup in some areas, but
not the ground swell that we saw. And even for
those players, there's something different about performing at an event
at home, which just is what you go into sport
probably and that elite level of sport wanting to do
(24:24):
is to perform in front of your home fans in
these kind of events that very rarely you get to
do that. Like athletes, especially athletics you're always traveling around
and you're performing in Europe and everywhere, but here a
butt being at home, So you're taking that away. In
terms of the reaction for everyday Aussies at the time,
(24:45):
I think for Victorians a lot the reaction was okay, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
But also a little bit of no, that's embarrassing. Yes
it was, that's embarrassing. But as soon as you put
sport in the same sentence as hospitals.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Oh yes, now our children, that would.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Go well obviously, like, yes, I'm not going to argue
that sport is more important than the sick, but you
made us a promise that this was going to happen.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
And then how does that reflect on any future promises
for Australia, let alone Victoria.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Australian's tape for granted that we win like we win
at Olympics, we win at Commonwealth Games. Do you know
what inspires people to decide to be track and field
athletes when they're grossly underfunded and go four years at
a time without anyone really caring and then all of
a sudden get to the big stage is the fact
(25:40):
that sometimes we host a home Commonwealth Games and they
get to go and sit in the stands and go
I want to be the next Peter Ball, I want
to be the next Armie. It's those moments and they
inspire people and we will promised that and it was
taken promise. But more the point, will we ever see
Commonwealth Games again?
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Well, if Tom Tate, the Mayor of the Gold Coast,
has his way, he would he would love to love
to see them.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
The primary victorious lemon the Gold Coast can turn that
into a lemonade.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
That's Tom Tait's words. The Queensland Premier he had a
good time on the Gold Coast. Queensland Premier Anistaga Palache says,
we don't want that lemonade.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
There will be no lemonade here.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
So also his deputy said no, no, it was absolutely
no way that the Gold Coast can host this because
all of the infrastructure that they had in the twenty
eighteen Games is now being used to house people.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
So there's actually nowhere for the athletes to go. But
you've got to love his spirit.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Don't you love the mayor's coming out. Ba Zempler straight
away was like what about person, and the premiers like
stop that, stop that, don't you dare like the mayor
may come out and get the popular boat and be
like our city welcome everyone, welcome here, and the premiers
is like no, no, absolutely not debt. It starts with
deep debt.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Debt.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
No, Yeah, I think I think that it's a problem
facing all of these huge events, whether it be World Cups, Olympics,
coming well games is just how to host them and
how to host them feasibly that isn't going to bankrupt
the host nation. I think that is why we are
seeing it spread across like the sharing rights, Like I mean,
we talk about the Women's World Cup that was shared
(27:13):
with New Zealand as well, so Australia New Zealand shared that.
So I feel like we might see it again, but
it would definitely be that kind of model.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
And this was sensational in theory because it was building
infrastructure in the regions, so you were spending money where
you'd like to spend money anyway, but getting the moral
feel good of sport that goes with it, and also
putting you forget, this is a world stage. This is
countries around the world looking at regional victoria.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah, we're going to put them on the map. People
are going to be like, oh Ben to go, what's
amazing places to go to? So the people in the
regions were thrilled.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
We talk about the Andrews government. Dan Andrews has decided
to no longer be premier and it is just into Allen.
So your gut response goes, oh, she's gonna have to
mop up what Dan did. It was her bid, she
did it, she did it, she did it.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
I think that's the other response is that people like, oh,
well that's done now because Dan's left.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Oh well new Slate, new Slaate.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Ah No, justinto Allen is the person that is still
getting brought in front of Senate inquiries to answer questions
about why this failed.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
How can you argue you didn't mislead people when on
one day you've said it's going tremendously and then on
the next day it's like, we've got to cancel, pullpin all.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Those politics, keep those politics out of sport. It's impassible.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
It's the question is who gets it? Where does it go?
Speaker 3 (28:38):
It still doesn't have a host. Where's the going.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Has this damaged Melbourne or white A Victoria's standing as
a sporting capital of the world.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Yes, Oh, dear listener, Jeremy puts her head in her hands.
I yes, she's so sad, but it does. It does
Queensland right for the new home of sport.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I'm not done, but we need to get to the
fun fact so we can talk about how great Australia
is at supporting sport.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Gell me, it's time for another fun fact.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
I've never teased a fun fact before, but I just
did because this is one that will make you feel
good to be part of Australian sport. Okay, Georgie twenty
twenty three. Average game attendance for sports teams worldwide. Yeah yeah,
Number one Bruceia Dortmund.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah that makes it.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Eighty one thousand is the average attendance, which is unbelievable.
The game, her game, yes, standard weekday game.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Number two the world. We're talking about Collingwood Football Club.
You can't make this shit up.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
No.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Seventy seven thousand, six hundred and fifty nine Magpie's.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
They really don't need another win. They don't need another
stat that they can get around.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
To give you. The rest of the list by Munich
seventy five thousand, Manchester United seventy three plus Pidley into
Milan seventy two think of the world clubs that they
are and it's the world game, it's the beautiful game,
and the number two Collingwood FC that the Premierships are
(30:16):
cakewalk and sol attendance. It's unbelievable and.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
It does make me think of back to that winning
Grand Final and Darcy Moore, the most brilliant captain, says
I'd like to thank our eighteenth man, which was the
Magpie Army. And you look at these stats and you're like,
they are an extra person on that field, because if
you've got a stadium of one hundred thousand people and
seventy seven on average thousand of you are wearing black
(30:43):
and white.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
It felt like that at the Grand Fart. Also, the
fact that you managed to get Darcy Moore into this
because you found girl him at the moment is.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I got an interview Darcimore recently and I just love
him everyone, that's the thing.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
And I asked him the question. I was like, what's
it like being the most loved player and a hated team?
And he's like, yeah, I guess kind of weird.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
I was like, yes, let's.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Deep dive into that.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
But they're not a hated team.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Well not anymore because again, well actually you're right, they're not.
Their fans love them. Seventy seven thousand.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
That stat blew my mind and it's going to be
coming to a backpage au because you just believed that
the AFL and Colin would'll get a hold of it
and put it on t shirts.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Yeah, to put its unbelievable into some kind of perspective, like, yes,
I know the stadium sizes do play a part here.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
But playing get Home at the MCG quite important.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Quite important.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
But I do think, you know, if we equate that
to an NRL match, if I think the Broncos averagely
maybe like thirty forty thousand members, if they got you know,
an average of thirty thousand to a game in a
fifty two and a half thousand seat stadium, that would
be incredible.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
So they don't, though they don't.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
They don't, and like you know, some I would say
the average NRL crowd is probably between twenty twenty five thousand.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
That's big, that'd be generous, to be generous.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
The years when they're at Subiaco West Coast had more
members that had seeded tickets than there were seats.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
That where do they what do the members go, what
do they do?
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Well, you just had to wait. You're on a wait
list for when people it was like the MCC, you're
on a wait list for when people gave up their
membership that you would get seeded tickets. And then it
created this economy which we see at the moment with
the MCC, where it's like, oh, it's a lot of money,
but what if I give it up, You'll never get
it back. People put their net kids' names down for
KINDI before they're born. It's hard to get into. And
(32:30):
the MCC wait listed.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
It's just those two things.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
And it's like, kid doesn't have a name, honestly.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Little Maggie McCrae, and that's all we have time for.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
I don't think Maggie McCrae was photographed in the cup's
gonna have any problem getting attendance to a game. She
may just be in a box or a wing named
after Maggie. They'll be tattoos. Someone will get her tattooed
on them.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Oh, of course, they probably already have a lot of problems.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
All right, this is about the where we need to go.
We are so interested as to what you think about
the comwealth games. Do you care? Are you like us
in you care? Or do you think this is the
death of something that should have died a long time ago.
We've got questions, so hit us up on Instagram at
two good sports a podcasts. We love your feedback, and
if you have a fun fact, save us some homework,
do our research for us. We'd love you to slide
(33:20):
into our dms with a fun fact, but Georgie until
next week. Be a good sport,
Two Good Sports would like to acknowledge the traditional owners
of the land on which we record this podcast that
will run dry people. This land was never seated, always was,
always will be. Hello and welcome to two Good Sports
sports news tolds differently.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm Georgie Tie and I'm Abbie Jelmy And on today's show, Georgie.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Will anyone save the Commonwealth Game?
Speaker 4 (00:25):
As?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Do we care? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Do we want it to be sa?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
You and I care?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
We do?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
But does everyone else care? Because it feels like there's
headlines and yet no one's really talking about it. In
one of the great kerfuffles, I'd say that's ever happened
in Australian sport.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Kerfuffle is an amazing word. I love it's use here
because it is a duel in many of our most
decorated athletes crowns. We think of Australia being the ultimate
sporting nation. The Commonwealth Games is where we win millions
of medals. So why has Australia blown up its hosting rights?
Back in July, the Victorian government counseled its plans to
(01:02):
host the Games. We're going to delve into the fallout
and what led up to that. Particular moment and give
our thoughts measured as always, and opinions about whether we think.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
It was the right call, and in July it was everywhere. Yes.
But we are months down the track. Yeah, we still
don't have a host. The athletes are still left scratching
their heads and there are numbers associated with this that
still don't make any sense. So get a bit of paper,
get a pen, because we're about to give you all
the facts and just what is happening here. But do
(01:34):
we headline first?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Headline first? Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Ah, dear listener, remember when we were talking about the
Wallabies and the World Cup and just how dead they were,
how dead and almost buried, and we pointed out that
maybe their campaign could survive and they make it out
of the group stages.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
If Portugal, which had never won Rugby World Cup match,
defeated Fiji, who had defeated the Wallabies for the first
time in sixty nine years, it was convoluted. There was
a lot against them and against us as Wallabies fans
making it through to the next round.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Portugal defeated Fiji, it's just the most ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. If it was a film, you'd say,
absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Twenty four points to twenty three to win their first
Rugby World Cup match. Ever, it's the first time they've
been back in this tournament, I think since two thousand
and seven. In Portugal. Right now, if we had a
live feed, they are storming the streets just shouting, crying.
They'd be flares, I'm sure, because this is gigantic.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
However, is Portugal.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
A rugby loving nation enough to have flairs?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
It?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Damn well? Is now?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
It?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Damn well?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Is now?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
All you need is a victory? You just need one.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
But but put the paddles away. Tell me the Wallabies
are still dead. They're still dead, because yes, we need
a Portugal to win. But as is the case with
rugby union and I really really actually can't work it
out in my head sometimes as facts that and figures
that just don't add up. We needed them to win
by a lot more than one point, and we needed
(03:15):
them to win by like many tries. So it was like, yes,
we need Portugal win, ah, we also need them to
win by this much.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
We also needed them to score this many tries.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
So unfortunately we prayed for the miracle we got the miracle,
just not enough. It wasn't enough to get us off
the canvas. That's it.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
So the Wallabies out of the World Cup in the
group stages for the first time in their history.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
There will be so much more to come with this.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Well down Portugal, you tried punintended headline too.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
It's just ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. The players and the spectators
once again are the ones that are left high and dry.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Craig Burley is someone I'd love to have one with
the talk about life because he seems quite animated. Of course,
he is the ESPN commentator and he is not a
big fan of the FIFA World Cup announcement that it
will be taking place George across three continents, the Men's
World Cup in twenty thirty. It's unbelievable and yet completely
believable at the same time because it's FIFA and they
(04:21):
will take your money. But what does this mean? What
does this mean for football? What does this mean for fans? Well,
a a lot of travel. It's going to be Morocco,
Spain and Portugal named as the host nation.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
But technically the hosts right, So those are the three
countries where the majority of the games are going, but.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
The first three games you' Aguay, Argentina and Paraguay. So
they're saying that it's a throwback to the centenary. That
is kind of like playing homage to the fact that
that was where it was hosted in nineteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yes, okay, why not just give them the whole tournament
then money? Yeah, okay, there we go money to it's.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Expensive, it's I think it's a it's desive to host
it all on your own. But hey, if we have
six bitterers and we can take all of your coin.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Can I say a controversial fact here? Because Craig Burly
would not would not be approving of this. He actually
used the word hates Fifat at the moment, like he
used hate such strong language.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I also hope that he's getting escorted to his car.
I know, I know, because I'm very you feel scared
here in Australia to say anything bad about BEEFA. I know.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
I'm worried that producer James is going to just launch
over the desk and get me like, how dare you
say this? I think that as a sports fan and
a happy tourist, I would not mind going to Moroccos
band in Portugal and using the FIFA World Cup as
an excuse for me to get there and to just
work out the travel of going between each different country.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Are you suggesting a World Cup critique?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Ah? Yes, I am, yes, I am. I think so,
a rite of passage?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Would that sounds awesome? How expensive a flight's going to
be during that time?
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Yeah, it would be astronautic.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
The demand for travel and also accommodation and then getting
tickets yes to World Cup. Yes, that is logistically too
much for mine.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Yeah, we also have to make sure that Australia gets
there right, No, because we are talking about the soccer US,
not the Matildas. And I think it would be remiss
not to mention that the twenty twenty seven Women's World
Cup still yet to be decided where that will be hosted.
We should know in May next year. The current bids
South Africa as one, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, hoping
(06:29):
to spread it round Brazil or the US and Mexico.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
It would be fun, though.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Oh, it would be so fun. It would be so fun.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Imagine just waking up and you're in Spain and then
you go to the football and the next day you
somehow teleport to Morocco and I just think fun.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
If you haven't picked up the Georgie's the organizer. Out
of the two of us, you can plan it. I'll
get on the plane. See you in twenty thirty. Great
headline three.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Wonderful catch by Heerley to take the tenth wicket and
the win tonight for Australia here at Ellen Borderfield, and
the series win as.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Well Australian women's cricket team doing Australian women's cricket team things.
It really is. They just win. The girls. They're unbelievable
and Alisa Healy has taken to the captaincy with such
strength and again when you hear about her and then
Mitchell Stark in the same week taking three wickets for Australia, like,
how's your household going?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
I know they're the ultimate sporting power couple.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
They truly are. But the Aussie women have claimed their
first piece of silverware for the summer, because we all
know there's going to be more in a T twenty
series win over the West Indies. They won two to one.
Tim Payne has actually joined as well as an assistant coach.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Interesting the Test captain men's captain.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, so he's in the fold as well, But it's
more just seeing these new talent and the young talent
coming through is so exciting for the Southern Stars that
aren't called the Southern Stars anymore. But I want to
persist with it.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
I know, I always loved when they were called the
Southern Stars. And now what are the Australian women's cricket team.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, in the same way that the men's team doesn't
have a nickname.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Okay, so I kind of get that.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
But also Haley Matthews for the Winders is anytime you
get to watch her is a treat and they've currently
got an ODI series underway. Australia won the first one,
so yeah we did and that's underway and there we did.
Game two is going to be in Melbourne on Thursday.
But especially with the Men's World Cup happening at the moment,
our girls just are so impressive. And if you ever
(08:17):
want to go back to watching Australians just winning and
wiping the floor with cricket, yeah, they're always there. Green
and Gold Armside Open.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I think that you know, if you want to get
a T shirt that just says we just win that's
for the Aussie women. The men, we just win sometimes
because the campaigns not started great. In the ODII World Cup,
that's happening in India at the moment, Australia the first
game taking on the host nation. I mean that is
a huge challenge. Top tip for the Australian men's cricket
(08:46):
team from someone who actually doesn't play cricket. But you
may not want to drop Virat Cohli ever.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
In a game.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I just I'm just throwing it out there. That happened
when Verat Coli was on not so many runs. He
then scored eighty five runs and India won by six wickets.
So you know, lessons learned, Lessons learned.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
There were discussions about the lack of attendance for the opener, Yeah,
because in India you'd imagine that cricket just sells out.
It didn't. It actually looked quite sparse. But of course
India weren't playing, yes, because it was England New Zealand. Yes,
but when India play, you see India in full flight.
There's something special and almost religious about cricket in India
and it's very cool. The question is always when it
(09:26):
comes to an ODI World Cup is the standing of
that format in the game. I still like an ODI, I.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Like it, but I have definitely heard commentary around this
particular World Cup that this may be the last fifty
overs World Cup that we see in men's cricket.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
We'll see them.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
In women's cricket because that's kind of the pinnacle of
that game. It's different, but this could be the final
time that we see one, because is the interest there.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
And the good thing is England are playing like it's
T twenty anyway with baseball, just going hard, So maybe
and that is the format that people want to see
in packet. It is because they're talking about how ynamic
England are even when they played Test cricket and they
just go ham going well, you're gonna win some, you're
gonna lose some, which is all well and good until
you get to the final stages and you genuinely need
to play some crunch cricket. But headline four and we
(10:11):
don't usually do a headline force. So I'm going to
keep this very quick. Olso pstre second podium of the season.
You love to see it. For McLaren it went Verstappen
pistre norris So two McLaren teammates two three on the
podium at the Catter Grand Prix unbelievable. Pstre said it
was probably the hardest race of his life, the little
lossie that could, the little.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Lossie that could with a whole bunch of resources and
millions of dollars behind him.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
But we do love to see it, We do love
pastre fans.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Already excited for the Australian Grand Prix all right still
to come.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
Is it a comprehensive let down for the athletes, the
excited host communities, first nations Australian who are going to
be at the heart of the Games, and the millions
of fans that would have embraced the sixth home Games
here in Australia.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Tough words from the head of the Australian comm Games,
Craig Phillips, for a tough situation. Was canceling the Commonwealth
Games the right call for Australia.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
That's next, the Commonwealth Games, George? Are they to be
any longer now that we don't have a host for
twenty twenty six? But let's establish what are the Commonwealth Games?
(11:22):
First held in nineteen thirty in Canada, they were created
as a means of increasing goodwill and understanding of the
British Empire.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Oh it's not going great.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
No, it's not going great. They've had a few name
changes throughout the years. They went from the British Empire
Games to the British Commonwealth Games and finally settling on
the Commonwealth Games in nineteen seventy eight.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Such innovation with those two us I know.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
The Commonwealth by definition, is an association of sovereign nations
which support each other and work together towards international goals.
It's a voluntary organization. There is fifty two member countries
spanning across Africa, Asia, the Americans, Europe and the Pacific.
And since nineteen thirty the Games have taken place every
four years, obviously alternating from when the Olympics are, except
(12:03):
for in nineteen forty two or nineteen forty six when nah,
little think of World War II mate that they didn't happen.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
So the only thing that has got in the Commonwealth
Games as way has been.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
A World War And now the Andrews government. How do
they differ from the Olympics though, this is important to
establish because I think sometimes people that don't love sport
get a bit confused about what the difference is. We've
just established you need to be part of the Commonwealth,
so it's a limited pool. US China, Russia not there.
Very helpful if you want to win some golf. But
also they include some sports that don't feature in the Olympics.
(12:35):
So when you think of the Aussie diamonds netball winning gold,
you're thinking of the COMM Games. But the thing that
is perhaps most special, to steal a phrase from the
one the only Bruce doesn't need a say name Bruce Macavanni,
just Bruce, is the integration of the power program. Yes,
instead of having the Paralympics separate from the Olympics with
the Commonwealth Games, they are integrated. And it is something
(12:56):
that is so special and incredible and it's just sport,
it's just athletes, and it's something that's done so well
and we saw celebrated in many ways at the Birmingham
Games Australia. We love the con Games. We do even
though the commnwellth for some people might be on the nose.
Do you know what's not on the nose? Winning We
(13:17):
love gold and we absolutely mop up. We've hosted it
five times, the last two being important to note two
thousand and six Melbourne hosted the game not that long ago,
not that long ago, and on the Gold Coast in
twenty eighteen.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
I remember that one.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Yeah, And it was set to be Regional Victoria in
twenty twenty six. And then all the wheels fell off
the respective cart and the cart that no one knows
if it's going to get picked up.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
So right now the wheelers cart is just stuck on
the ground. Because on the twelfth of April twenty twenty two,
that was victory Day shall we call it for the
Comnwealth Games bid for Victoria, including Melbourne and Regional Victoria.
The Daniel Andrews government came out and said, guys, we
needed to step in. We have saved the Commonwealth Games.
(14:07):
We will host it. It will be amazing.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
This was also at the time of an election.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
He also said two point six billion expensive but worth it,
worth it because it's going to be infrastructure for the region.
It was big about a big warm hug for Regional Victoria. Yes,
it was about providing housing in a backward way in
the fact that what would house the athletes would then
become state housing. Yes, and it just had a lot
(14:33):
of big, warm hug excitement about it because Victorians Georgie
love sport, especially in a lead up to an.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Election, and they also love to tell you that they
love sport. They love to tell you that.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Melbourne and Victoria is the home of sport. Fast forward
too the eighteenth of July twenty twenty three, Really not
that long a time, but that was the day that
the Victorian government canceled its plans to host the Commonwealth Games,
claiming the cost of hosting the event was far too high.
Speaker 6 (15:04):
It's not two point six billion dollars. It is, in fact,
at least six billion dollars and could be as high
as seven billion dollars. And I cannot stand here and
say to you that I have any confidence that that
even seven billion dollar number would appropriately and adequately fund
these games.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
You know what it's giving. It's giving the count from
Sesame Street going.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
One two ha Haally, where are these figures coming from?
Speaker 3 (15:32):
How did it blow out this much?
Speaker 2 (15:33):
How when your job is to keep the numbers for
the state, do you go six? Maybe seven? I'm not
even confident that seven is going to be a thing.
How do you cost other events? I'm so confused? And
when you look at the cost of something. Georgie's let's
use a house. When you're looking at a house and
you're going, I wonder how much that will cost, you
look at likehouses that have been in the same sort
(15:55):
of area around the same time.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
So wilful.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
So we have looked at like events. So let's have
a look at other Comnwealth Games. Birmingham costs one point
eight billion dollars oka the Gold Coast, so that's not
so long ago twenty eighteen one point two billion dollars.
And if we want to talk about games held on
the big scale, well, you think Paris has the Olympics
(16:19):
next year? Yeah, how much is that going to cost?
Five billion dollars?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Five billion?
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Five billion, that's not seven billion. So that's what French
tax players are paying to hold the Olympic Games. And
apparently our Commonwealth Games blew out from two point six
to six maybe seven. And there's this gaping hole in
the middle where Craig Phillips, who we mentioned is the
head of the Australian Cornwealth Games, has said, show us
(16:45):
your books.
Speaker 5 (16:46):
The state of costs overruns, in our opinion are a
gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs presented
to the Victorian twenty twenty six Organizing Committee Board as
recently as June this year.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
You mentioned June, so on the eighteenth of July was
the cancelation date. On the thirteenth of June, now, Premier
Justinto Allen, who was responsible for the bid for the
Comonwealth Games, said they were making tremendous progress.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Tremendous that's a strong word.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Direct quote, and this is I'm looking an article on
the cover of the Age from this week. On the
fourteenth of June, I e. The next day they sought
legal counsel on how to cancel the games.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Tremendous development in terms of getting one.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Of tremendous how how? And I think the thing that
we're left with is again, this all happened. We're talking
June July. We're now getting to the latest stages of
twenty twenty three, and no one has picked it up.
The athletes are still no closer to any answer. And
that's who I think have been lost in all of this.
If you're an athlete preparing for Commonwealth Games, which is
(17:54):
so important, and you believe you're going to have a
home games, what's happening now.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Especially think back, dear listener.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
As Jelmy mentioned, if you have ever seen a celebration
for the diamonds, it is most likely that that is
a Commonwealth Games. And we're talking twenty twenty six were
the end of twenty twenty three, so in terms of
you know, a lot can happen in three years, but
when you're an athlete, every single day of that three
(18:22):
years matters and it means something. And to kind of
put them in this limbo is so hard, so hard
for the personal athletes. And I'm pulling all athletes in
there because the power athletes and able bodied athletes it's
such a special event for them. But Jellmy, you actually
(18:43):
can't just walk away from a Commonwealth Games bit. You
can't just be like it's like, hey, guys, I'm hosting
the party. Everyone come round, and then an hour beforehand
you're like, shit, I've not done anything.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
We're not having this party anymore. Cancel it. You actually
can't do that.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
There are consequences, and there are consequences when part of
that bid was promising infrastructure yes to taxpayers in regional areas.
So as part of that press conference where we heard
Dan go, well, it's maybe six seven billion. Firstly, he
framed it by going, can't take that money from the
children in the hospitals. Yes, that was the line that
was used, and everyone goes, well no, well, no, no
(19:20):
one wants to do that, to take six or seven
billion dollars maybe from the young or the ill.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Yes, but it's already costed though.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
But when you put your hands up to host something,
what does your word stand for on a global scale?
When you then later go ah, sorry, we didn't do
the numbers. Well, and this just doesn't fly. Yes, so's
that's what's happened here. But there are costs not only
for canceling Comnwealth Games. Bodies of course are going to
ask for a handout because they've been grossly mistreated through
(19:50):
this process.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
And it's quite a big hando. It's not small hand out,
three hundred and eight million dollars.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
But Dan Andrews and the Andrews government had also promised,
don't worry, we're still going to build the infrastructure.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
So they're still bending billions to.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
The value of two billion dollars, yes, right, of which
we already established that the previous games, the last two
didn't cost that much.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
I think that what has been probably other than the
whole cancelation of the Games, but the other biggest thorn
in the Australian Commonwealth Games their governing body side, has
been the lack of transparency or the lack of communication.
Craig Phillips has also gone on the record to say
(20:29):
that the most up to date information that they have
been getting from all of this, a lot of it
has actually come from the media, and they have not
had the conversations. The last conversations that they were privy
to were yeah, we're great, tremendously going well, yeah, going
real well, and then it was like nah, nah, babe,
we're not actually doing it. And I think that when
you are in these positions and these difficult decisions have
(20:50):
to be made. We know that everything is getting more expensive,
we know the inflation, we know the cost of living crisis.
Of course that's going to have an impact, but according
to Phillips, there are solutions to that. We're if you're
still going to be building the two billion dollars worth
of infrastructure in regional Victoria, then why not have the
conversation to at least bring some of the events back
(21:11):
to Melbourne In ready made stadia that are already purpose
built here instead of creating it there, or at.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
The very least when you have the press conference, be
able to stand side by side with Craig Phillips and
say we have worked closely with the Australia.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Because odd now that you say that that is odd.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
You stand and say we have pulled an all lighter.
But it's just got to the point where it's best
for the athletes and best for everyone that we establish
that this is money that we cannot spend. It's giving
I'm going well, narrator, it was not going well.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Well, it's that dog in that meme and the fire. Yeah,
everything is fine.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
Do you know what's not fine? The Victorian government's debt
is that of New South Wales, Queensland and has many
a combined. And the Victorian government on the nineteenth of
August has agreed to pay the Comnwealth Games Bodies three
hundred and eighty million dollars to not host.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
So already just been my terrible maths. If we're spending
already the committed to plus billion dollars on the infrastructure
that has already been promised, you add in the three
hundred and eighty billion. We're already at two and a
half billion, so we're nearly at three billion.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
The Women's World Cup was eighty mil Wow to host here.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Unbelievable. And as part of this agreement, clever. None of
the figures can be discussed. Yes, the only thing that
Dan Andrews sort of said in the press conference was
this was a great outcome because we started off galaxies apart.
I'm like, yeah, because they would have been like one
billion dollars place sir, and they finally found something in
the middle. But again, three hundred and eighty million dollars
out of a state government. And then on top of that,
(22:44):
the Victorian police have come out and said we're going
to bill for six million dollars here that we can
add on top of that, because we sent some sergeants
to Birmingham, yeah, to see how that's done. And when
you talk about like these numbers stop having meaning six
million dollars, how many police does that mean could have
been on our streets? Yes, it just loses relevance for mind,
(23:05):
Like you just start talking about these big numbers and
this debt and it just grows and grows, and at
the core of it Unfortunately for sport lovers comes the question, George,
what price tag? Given the cost of living, given insane debts,
the governments around the world, little ande around Australia in
what is the point of hosting sport that is a
(23:29):
financial lemen as it's been described, a moral win but
a financial limen.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Well, I think you can apply that argument to so
many different facets of life, right, It's like, why should
we keep investing in the arts, And it's because ultimately
the arts is where you find fulfillment and the arts
is where you find joy. You can make exactly the
same argument for these events and sport in general. We
saw the overwhelming joy camaraderie the Matilda's were able to
(24:01):
create and I say create because it didn't exist before
we hosted that Women's World Cup in some areas, but
not the ground swell that we saw. And even for
those players, there's something different about performing at an event
at home, which just is what you go into sport
probably and that elite level of sport wanting to do
(24:24):
is to perform in front of your home fans in
these kind of events that very rarely you get to
do that. Like athletes, especially athletics you're always traveling around
and you're performing in Europe and everywhere, but here a
butt being at home, So you're taking that away. In
terms of the reaction for everyday Aussies at the time,
(24:45):
I think for Victorians a lot the reaction was okay, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
But also a little bit of no, that's embarrassing. Yes
it was, that's embarrassing. But as soon as you put
sport in the same sentence as hospitals.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Oh yes, now our children, that would.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Go well obviously, like, yes, I'm not going to argue
that sport is more important than the sick, but you
made us a promise that this was going to happen.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
And then how does that reflect on any future promises
for Australia, let alone Victoria.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Australian's tape for granted that we win like we win
at Olympics, we win at Commonwealth Games. Do you know
what inspires people to decide to be track and field
athletes when they're grossly underfunded and go four years at
a time without anyone really caring and then all of
a sudden get to the big stage is the fact
(25:40):
that sometimes we host a home Commonwealth Games and they
get to go and sit in the stands and go
I want to be the next Peter Ball, I want
to be the next Armie. It's those moments and they
inspire people and we will promised that and it was
taken promise. But more the point, will we ever see
Commonwealth Games again?
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Well, if Tom Tate, the Mayor of the Gold Coast,
has his way, he would he would love to love
to see them.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
The primary victorious lemon the Gold Coast can turn that
into a lemonade.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
That's Tom Tait's words. The Queensland Premier he had a
good time on the Gold Coast. Queensland Premier Anistaga Palache says,
we don't want that lemonade.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
There will be no lemonade here.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
So also his deputy said no, no, it was absolutely
no way that the Gold Coast can host this because
all of the infrastructure that they had in the twenty
eighteen Games is now being used to house people.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
So there's actually nowhere for the athletes to go. But
you've got to love his spirit.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Don't you love the mayor's coming out. Ba Zempler straight
away was like what about person, and the premiers like
stop that, stop that, don't you dare like the mayor
may come out and get the popular boat and be
like our city welcome everyone, welcome here, and the premiers
is like no, no, absolutely not debt. It starts with
deep debt.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Debt.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
No, Yeah, I think I think that it's a problem
facing all of these huge events, whether it be World Cups, Olympics,
coming well games is just how to host them and
how to host them feasibly that isn't going to bankrupt
the host nation. I think that is why we are
seeing it spread across like the sharing rights, Like I mean,
we talk about the Women's World Cup that was shared
(27:13):
with New Zealand as well, so Australia New Zealand shared that.
So I feel like we might see it again, but
it would definitely be that kind of model.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
And this was sensational in theory because it was building
infrastructure in the regions, so you were spending money where
you'd like to spend money anyway, but getting the moral
feel good of sport that goes with it, and also
putting you forget, this is a world stage. This is
countries around the world looking at regional victoria.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah, we're going to put them on the map. People
are going to be like, oh Ben to go, what's
amazing places to go to? So the people in the
regions were thrilled.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
We talk about the Andrews government. Dan Andrews has decided
to no longer be premier and it is just into Allen.
So your gut response goes, oh, she's gonna have to
mop up what Dan did. It was her bid, she
did it, she did it, she did it.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
I think that's the other response is that people like, oh,
well that's done now because Dan's left.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Oh well new Slate, new Slaate.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Ah No, justinto Allen is the person that is still
getting brought in front of Senate inquiries to answer questions
about why this failed.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
How can you argue you didn't mislead people when on
one day you've said it's going tremendously and then on
the next day it's like, we've got to cancel, pullpin all.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Those politics, keep those politics out of sport. It's impassible.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
It's the question is who gets it? Where does it go?
Speaker 3 (28:38):
It still doesn't have a host. Where's the going.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Has this damaged Melbourne or white A Victoria's standing as
a sporting capital of the world.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Yes, Oh, dear listener, Jeremy puts her head in her hands.
I yes, she's so sad, but it does. It does
Queensland right for the new home of sport.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I'm not done, but we need to get to the
fun fact so we can talk about how great Australia
is at supporting sport.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Gell me, it's time for another fun fact.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
I've never teased a fun fact before, but I just
did because this is one that will make you feel
good to be part of Australian sport. Okay, Georgie twenty
twenty three. Average game attendance for sports teams worldwide. Yeah yeah,
Number one Bruceia Dortmund.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah that makes it.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Eighty one thousand is the average attendance, which is unbelievable.
The game, her game, yes, standard weekday game.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Number two the world. We're talking about Collingwood Football Club.
You can't make this shit up.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
No.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Seventy seven thousand, six hundred and fifty nine Magpie's.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
They really don't need another win. They don't need another
stat that they can get around.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
To give you. The rest of the list by Munich
seventy five thousand, Manchester United seventy three plus Pidley into
Milan seventy two think of the world clubs that they
are and it's the world game, it's the beautiful game,
and the number two Collingwood FC that the Premierships are
(30:16):
cakewalk and sol attendance. It's unbelievable and.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
It does make me think of back to that winning
Grand Final and Darcy Moore, the most brilliant captain, says
I'd like to thank our eighteenth man, which was the
Magpie Army. And you look at these stats and you're like,
they are an extra person on that field, because if
you've got a stadium of one hundred thousand people and
seventy seven on average thousand of you are wearing black
(30:43):
and white.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
It felt like that at the Grand Fart. Also, the
fact that you managed to get Darcy Moore into this
because you found girl him at the moment is.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I got an interview Darcimore recently and I just love
him everyone, that's the thing.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
And I asked him the question. I was like, what's
it like being the most loved player and a hated team?
And he's like, yeah, I guess kind of weird.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
I was like, yes, let's.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Deep dive into that.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
But they're not a hated team.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Well not anymore because again, well actually you're right, they're not.
Their fans love them. Seventy seven thousand.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
That stat blew my mind and it's going to be
coming to a backpage au because you just believed that
the AFL and Colin would'll get a hold of it
and put it on t shirts.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Yeah, to put its unbelievable into some kind of perspective, like, yes,
I know the stadium sizes do play a part here.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
But playing get Home at the MCG quite important.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Quite important.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
But I do think, you know, if we equate that
to an NRL match, if I think the Broncos averagely
maybe like thirty forty thousand members, if they got you know,
an average of thirty thousand to a game in a
fifty two and a half thousand seat stadium, that would
be incredible.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
So they don't, though they don't.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
They don't, and like you know, some I would say
the average NRL crowd is probably between twenty twenty five thousand.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
That's big, that'd be generous, to be generous.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
The years when they're at Subiaco West Coast had more
members that had seeded tickets than there were seats.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
That where do they what do the members go, what
do they do?
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Well, you just had to wait. You're on a wait
list for when people it was like the MCC, you're
on a wait list for when people gave up their
membership that you would get seeded tickets. And then it
created this economy which we see at the moment with
the MCC, where it's like, oh, it's a lot of money,
but what if I give it up, You'll never get
it back. People put their net kids' names down for
KINDI before they're born. It's hard to get into. And
(32:30):
the MCC wait listed.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
It's just those two things.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
And it's like, kid doesn't have a name, honestly.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
Little Maggie McCrae, and that's all we have time for.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
I don't think Maggie McCrae was photographed in the cup's
gonna have any problem getting attendance to a game. She
may just be in a box or a wing named
after Maggie. They'll be tattoos. Someone will get her tattooed
on them.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Oh, of course, they probably already have a lot of problems.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
All right, this is about the where we need to go.
We are so interested as to what you think about
the comwealth games. Do you care? Are you like us
in you care? Or do you think this is the
death of something that should have died a long time ago.
We've got questions, so hit us up on Instagram at
two good sports a podcasts. We love your feedback, and
if you have a fun fact, save us some homework,
do our research for us. We'd love you to slide
(33:20):
into our dms with a fun fact, but Georgie until
next week. Be a good sport,
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