By Natasha Fujimoto
WHEN election promises are served, they’re invariably garnished with a touch of gold.
With a state election win in November, the Liberal and National party will name Shepparton as the fifth, regional, Commonwealth games hub for 2026.
Greater Shepparton will join Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Gippsland in the role and will host several sports, including shooting.
On court and ready for action, the bipartisan announcement was made at the Shepparton sports stadium on August 5, with Nationals leader, Peter Walsh captaining the pronouncement alongside shadow minister for sport, Cindy McLeish, Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell, Liberal candidate Cheryl Hammer, National candidate Kim O’Keeffe and deputy mayor, Cr Anthony Brophy.
With 2.6B dollars handed down by the State Government for games preparation, Shepparton’s instatement as a regional hub would draw funding for sporting infrastructure.
Stating that three-on-three basketball is pegged to be allocated to Shepparton, Mr Walsh said, “There’s a big pile of money for the Commonwealth games. That pot of money will make sure [the Shepparton] stadium is upgraded.”
Echoing the intent to invest money in local sporting facilities, Ms McLeish said, “We will fight to make sure [judo and wrestling] come here, and when you look at the infrastructure required, we need legacy projects.”
For Ms O’Keeffe, becoming a hub is recognition at last of Shepparton’s integral role in conceiving a regional Commonwealth games, as she said, “Shepparton has been lobbying since 2017. We have not stopped lobbying for five years.”
