Commonwealth Games Australia has accused former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews of trying to “destroy” its brand in the eyes of the Australian public in a bid to further his own political interests.
According to a report by The Sun Pioneer, the sports organization recently released its annual report, revealing that Victorian taxpayers paid $380 million to terminate the contract with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) for the 2026 Games, with nearly $32 million allocated to assist Australian athletes to participate in overseas competitions.
Craig Phillips, CEO of Commonwealth Games Australia, described the past year as extremely challenging, pointing the blame squarely at former Victorian Premier Andrews.
He stated, “The decision by the Andrews-Allan government to cancel hosting the 2026 Games has had a huge impact on the Commonwealth Games brand.”
“For his own political expediency, then-Premier Andrews at times appeared to even attempt to tarnish this brand in front of the Australian public.”
“Commonwealth Games Australia firmly believes that the Commonwealth Games, especially our teams, are still beloved and respected by Australians.”
In the report, Ben Houston, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Australia, expressed that “this decision shocked the nation and raised questions about Australia’s integrity in hosting world-class events.”
“The cost of canceling the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria is immense. Besides the damage to reputation, the government also needs to pay out $380 million in compensation.”
The Andrews government had signed a contract with the Commonwealth Games Federation to host the 2026 Games in five regional cities in Victoria and announced the details of the plan before the Victorian election in 2022.
However, after winning the election, Andrews announced in July 2023 that the agreement was being torn up, citing an initial budget of $26 billion for the event that had ballooned to $60-$70 billion.
However, an analysis by Victorian Auditor-General Andrew Greaves found that this figure was inflated, with the total cost of hosting the event estimated at around $49 billion.
Greaves discovered that canceling the event cost Victoria $589 million, including a $380 million breach fee and $150 million for pre-organizer salaries and operational costs.