Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games – one year to go

On 4 April 2018 around 6600 athletes and team officials, from 70 nations and territories, will arrive on Queensland's Gold Coast for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

For 11 days the Gold Coast will be the centre of sporting activity with 18 sports and seven para-sports being contested in front of a global audience of 1.5 billion people.

Minister for Sport, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, said Australia is immensely proud to host the Commonwealth Games for a fifth time.

"The Commonwealth Games continues to be an iconic competition for Australia and other Commonwealth nations," Minister Hunt said.

"With one year to go there is a sharpened focus on preparing our athletes to be at their best and I wish all participants and officials, event organisers and the 15,000 volunteers all the best for a great games."

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP, said the Games will be the biggest international sporting event staged in Australia for a decade and the largest ever hosted by the Gold Coast.

"The Games will shine the spotlight on the Gold Coast as a world-class events destination and provide a significant economic impact worth an estimated $2 billion.

"More than 100,000 visitors are expected to descend on the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games and more than 1.5 billion people will tune in across the world to watch on TV.

"Significant sporting events, including the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2003 Rugby World Cup, 2015 AFC Asian Cup and 2015 Cricket World Cup; have typically attracted visitors to Australia who stay longer, travel further and spend more.

"About 17% (1.3 million) of all international visitors who come to Australia attend a cultural or sporting event during their trip."

The Australian Government has provided $154 million to the Queensland Government as our contribution to permanent sports infrastructure for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

We are also playing a significant role in supporting the operational planning and delivery of the Games.

A further $2 million has been provided for legacy programs, aimed to encourage more Australians to be more active, more often and encourage healthy habits we can take with us throughout our lives.

Through the Department of Infrastructure, we committed $95 million to Stage 2 of the Gold Coast Light Rail and $15 million for upgrades to the training and administration facility at Metricon Stadium in Carrara, the venue for athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies.