![\"Bridget](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f26a949528504a714bfe1b6049902063b052b94aa5fd2ea961fa2e35961eba83.png\")
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The Commonwealth Games are just a few days away, yet neither the Glaswegians hosting it, nor the Victorians paying for it seem to know.<\/p>\n Most Melburnians approached on the street by this masthead on Friday were surprised to learn the Games were happening this year, let alone this month.<\/p>\n Only six out of 40 people we spoke to knew they were coming up, and just seven knew they were in Scotland. One person thought the Games were still taking place in Victoria, and three did not know what the Commonwealth Games were.<\/p>\n It sums up a difficult few years for the event, which had already been struggling for relevance before Victoria\u2019s decision to pull the plug<\/a> saw it walk the gauntlet of public rejection, as country after country refused to take it on.<\/p>\n Glasgow finally agreed to host a small-scale version with a reduced roster of sports and no athletes\u2019 village, costed at around $300 million \u2013 a far cry from the allegedly $6 billion fiasco Victoria ended up canning.<\/p>\n Adding insult to injury, the Scottish and UK Governments will not spend a penny, according to the Glasgow Games 2026 website.<\/p>\n Instead, the Victorian government has borne the bulk of the expense, forced to pay the 11th-hour hosts $200 million of its $380 million compensation fee. The remaining amount is slated to come from commercial revenue streams.<\/p>\n It is a sweet deal for Glasgow \u2013 as the Victorian opposition and media have repeatedly pointed out \u2013 if only locals knew about it.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it in Glasgow?\u201d one local, Shona Ainslie, said when this masthead got in touch to ask how the city was feeling one week out.<\/p>\n \u201cWow that\u2019s mad. I didn\u2019t know that \u2026 Actually, I did see a sign the other day. As I was driving into Glasgow, there was the classic \u2018welcome to Glasgow\u2019 sign, and below it there was like a \u2018proud host of the something games\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s actually all I\u2019ve seen which is crazy because there was a Commonwealth Games in Glasgow like 12 years ago and it was a huge deal.\u201d<\/p>\n With a stop-start run-up and a FIFA World Cup<\/a> to contend with, organisers are optimistic that any lacklustre response from the public is just a lack of awareness, not indifference.<\/p>\n Related Article The Scotsman reported last week that there were still plenty of tickets to be sold and interest seemed cooler than for the 2014 Glasgow Games, but these concerns were dismissed by local organising company chief Phil Batty.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sales are strong. We\u2019re in a really good position with hundreds of thousands of people filling our venues across the competition program,\u201d Batty told the paper.<\/p>\n \u201cBirmingham sold one in five of its tickets during the Games itself. That is very typical of any major event, not just Commonwealth Games.\u201d<\/p>\n In Glasgow\u2019s favour is the fact that almost half of Melburnians in our casual poll said they would likely tune into the Games.<\/p>\n Commonwealth Games Australia marketing general manager Cody Lynch said it was not unusual for engagement to remain low in the lead-up, and it was typically not until the Opening Ceremony that things really kicked off.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not shocked by the fact that it\u2019s not necessarily front page news yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralians pay attention to Australians at the Commonwealth Games when the Commonwealth Games are happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Lynch said while Victoria\u2019s decision to pull the plug was \u201cabsolutely a setback\u201d, it was in the past.<\/p>\n \u201cVictoria happened. It\u2019s not what we wanted to see, but it\u2019s behind us now, and we\u2019re focused on delivering a result here in Glasgow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a host for 2030 (Ahmedabad, India). We\u2019ve got a Commonwealth Youth Games in Malta next year, and we\u2019ve got a pipeline of potential hosts for 2034 \u2026 We\u2019ve also got a home [Brisbane] Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032, which is very exciting. But absolutely, we would love to see the games back in Australia in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n While Australia may live to see another Commonwealth Games, Victoria will not be putting up its hand again anytime soon. At a press conference in May, sports minister Steve Dimopoulos said that idea had been put to bed \u201cfor quite some time\u201d.<\/p>\n Like Commonwealth Games Australia, the state government is keen to see the saga in the rearview mirror. Since then premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria\u2019s withdrawal, the decision has haunted the party and his successor, Jacinta Allan<\/a>, who was then Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery.<\/p>\n Three years have since passed and still unrelated inquiries to the sports minister are met with suspicion, with media representatives obliged to ask \u2013 \u201cthis isn\u2019t about the Commonwealth Games is it?\u201d<\/p>\n As athletes began flying out this month, state ministers were conspicuously absent from press conferences bidding them farewell. The government has not organised live fan sites, as it did for the World Cup<\/a>, nor announced other ways Victoria will be showing its support.<\/p>\n While few states are sending ministers to the Games, most are showing a bit more enthusiasm. The NSW government last week announced a $500,000 contribution to Australian athletes competing in the Games, while WA said it had given an additional $5000 in direct financial assistance to every WA athlete headed over.<\/p>\n The WA government will also light up Perth Stadium in green and gold for the opening ceremony and display the medal tally on a screen at Yagan Square. It is considering showing the Games at a live site in Northbridge, among other city activations, including a museum exhibition about Perth\u2019s history with the event.<\/p>\n The athletes left behind At least one category of Victorians has been well aware the Games are coming up. Olympic badminton player Gronya Somerville is among the athletes who did not just miss out on competing in a home event, but missed out on playing altogether, after the reduced sports roster saw about a dozen events dropped.<\/p>\n Somerville said while she was still looking forward to watching her fellow Australians compete on the world stage, it would be bittersweet, and she still did not understand why the Victorian government had canned the Games.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really surprised \u2013 especially hearing it was $3 billion over budget. Like, how do you get through the bidding process \u2026 without actually testing the viability? \u2026 We could\u2019ve done a scaled-down version \u2026 But it kind of seemed like they just gave up,\u201d Somerville said.<\/p>\n \u201cStill, I was really confident that another country would pick it up, but kept hearing country after country didn\u2019t want to host it. Then Glasgow got it which was good. Then we found out we weren\u2019t included.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWe\u2019ve had some time to get used to it now but going from the excitement of it being a home Games and having all of your family and friends come watch you \u2026 to not even participating. It\u2019s really jarring.\u201d<\/p>\n After placing fourth twice, the 31-year-old said she had been excited to push for a podium finish this year. She said the Commonwealth Games were usually the Australian badminton team\u2019s best chance at a medal as Asian nations like China and South Korea tended to dominate the sport in the Olympics.<\/p>\n Fellow Victorian athlete Amy Lawton said she had been similarly shocked to hear field hockey had not made the cut. She said she felt particularly bad for athletes in smaller nations who did not typically get a look-in at the Olympics.<\/p>\n \u201cSome countries might not get the opportunity of an international stage like this unless its Commonwealth Games,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI look at some of the small countries that we play against or did at the last Commonwealth Games, who won\u2019t probably ever get the opportunity to play at an Olympics because they\u2019re not at that level.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the Games were also a unique opportunity for para athletes and able-bodied athletes to compete on the same stage, unlike the Olympics and Paralympics, which are held as separate events.<\/p>\n The debacle over the cancellation of the Victorian Commonwealth Games has raised questions about the levels of government funding provided to athletes.<\/p>\n The federal government provides grants that are distributed by the Australian Sports Commission, but the state institutes of sport rely mainly on state governments to support their athletes.<\/p>\n There are 56 Victorian-based athletes competing in Glasgow \u2013 the third most of any state or territory \u2013 49 of whom are supported by the Victorian Institute of Sport.<\/p>\n Yet VIS scholars are among the lowest-funded in the country in terms of dollars per categorised athlete. <\/p>\n The VIS supports about 400 athletes and currently receives $14.5 million a year in state government funding. By comparison, Queensland provides around $34 million a year for more than 500 athletes. WA provides about $14 million a year for just under 300 athletes. And the NSW Institute of Sport, which has about 430 athletes, receives about $19 million a year.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Swimming Victoria said it was important Victorian athletes were able to access the high-performance support they needed to succeed in their home state, rather than being drawn interstate by larger funding pools and greater service offerings.<\/p>\n A Victorian government spokesperson said the state backed its athletes \u201call the way to Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThat commitment doesn\u2019t stop at the finish line,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re investing $32.7 million to expand VIS programs, backing our athletes to succeed at every level.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLabor has delivered also more than $2 billion to upgrade sporting facilities and clubs right across Victoria – growing sport from grassroots to the elite level.\u201d<\/p>\n Tracking promises in regional Victoria<\/p>\n The loss of the Games has also been felt in regional Victoria, which was at the centre of the state\u2019s ill-fated plans.<\/p>\n After tearing up the deal to host, the government made clear it remained committed to funding the infrastructure it had promised. Some of this work has since been completed, and the majority is at least underway, but the commitment several councils were pushing hardest for \u2013 more housing \u2013 is the one furthest behind.<\/p>\n Geelong mayor Dr Stretch Kontelj said he was still waiting for an update on the status of a social and affordable housing development the government had promised for the regional city, whose population is among the fastest growing in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been to the sod turn for all the other projects \u2013 the Stead Park pavilion, the Waurn Ponds sporting complex, Armstrong Creek\u2019s aquatic centre,\u201d he said. \u201cI haven\u2019t been to a sod turn for the housing yet \u2026 That\u2019s not advanced at all \u2026 and that\u2019s the one I\u2019d most like to see built.\u201d<\/p>\n By June 30 last year, the Victorian government had only spent $91.5 million of the $1 billion allocated as part of the Commonwealth Games legacy commitment to build homes in regional centres. At that time, it was forecast that about half of the total money would be spent by mid-2026.<\/p>\n However, the state government said this week that latest estimates put expenditure to June 2026 at $251.8 million. It said it was still on track to deliver the 1300 homes promised by 2028, with more than 1000 finished or under construction.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n When Victoria first announced its withdrawal from the 2026 Games, Commonwealth Games Australia said the state government had \u201cjeopardised Melbourne and Victoria\u2019s standing as a sporting capital of the world\u201d.<\/p>\n Yet with major sports like the NFL continuing to be drawn here<\/a>, it seems the state\u2019s sports reputation is among the least affected by the fallout. Instead, athletes and regional Victorians seem to have come up short. Whether the Games have suffered long-term damage in relevance and viewership will soon be revealed.<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Gronya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1ba4ff35ae13bf5480c2b504d859387be58874fa.jpeg\")
Gronya Somerville\u2019s sport, badminton, was cut from the Commonwealth Games.Eddie Jim<\/p>\n![\"Finnie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/35d508fc61981c812637a267f668f8ddfd8e18c5.jpeg\")
Finnie the unicorn in Glasgow one week before the 2026 Commonwealth Games kick off.Craig Watson<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/77bb60b49494dd6c229b27f0fff838d006b35633.jpeg\")
The Australian Diamonds left for the UK earlier this month to compete in the Commonwealth Games. AAPIMAGE<\/p>\n![\"Brooke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2f3ac182c050949e736ed0193d582fa16dd19b5c.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Central](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/3d0230686ccad10d465b5b1d61ee205cd424631c.jpeg\")
Central Glasgow one week out from the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Craig Watson<\/p>\n![\"Victorian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/971322faad4732653382a42721cf365a72ce45a4.jpeg\")
Victorian Olympian Gronya Somerville missed out on playing in this year\u2019s Commonwealth Games after badminton was dropped from the reduced roster of sports.Eddie Jim<\/p>\n![\"Australian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/23ae07f7530fb173c1f350d2786ffb3431babccf.jpeg\")
Australian hockey player Amy Lawton celebrates a goal. Hockey was cut from the Commonwealth Games. AP<\/p>\n![\"From](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d9f05a8c8606f220b0367dbaf63c25c70dd5f0af630ed470a03f253f73f43ce8.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/cd0c859eb212afea868606d8d00a6f1ae505862c.jpeg\")
The Armstrong Creek sports centre under construction. Joe Armao<\/p>\n![\"Bridget](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779990919_526_f26a949528504a714bfe1b6049902063b052b94aa5fd2ea961fa2e35961eba83.png\")
Bridget McArthur<\/a> is a sports affairs reporter at The Age, covering the intersection of sports and politics\/business\/economy\/society.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":809877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-809876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}