Chairman Dan

[nomadpete]

9 hours ago, willedoo said:

Also a large part of the growth in S.E. Queensland is Victorians relocating to Queensland. If they all stayed home, Melbourne would be bigger still. A lot of Brisbane growth is taken from Melbourne, so the way I figure it, if that wasn't happening, Melbourne would easily be the biggest growing city.

And that has been the case since I migrated to Brisbane in 1976. Unf all those years of knowing about the pop groth in Qld, has failed to spur either flavour of government to keep infrastructure growth up at the same pace

[red750]

Breaking news....

 

Daniel Andews has announced cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

[red750]

Victoria, and Melbourne in particular, proclaim themselves as the sporting capital of Australia, and have now been humiliated in the eyes of the international sporting world.

 

 

[facthunter]

Maybe under the current circumstances, saving the expense is a higher priority. IF they were still being held, they'd be criticised, probably by the SAME people.  Nev

[octave]

Seems like a sensible decision to me.  

 

"What's become clear is that the cost of hosting these Games in 2026 is not the $2.6 billion which was budgeted and allocated," he said.

Mr Andrews said the true cost was likely to be closer to $6 billion or $7 billion and the state simply could not afford it.

"I will not take money out of hospitals and schools to host an event that is three times the cost estimated and budgeted for last year."

 

  My criticism of this government would be bidding for the games in the first place.    

[Bruce Tuncks]

It's the first admission I have seen about how the true cost is a multiple of the first cost. Why does this happen?   Why can't the sum just be allocated and a smart CEO told that there is no more?

[facthunter]

Have you never had a car or house that cost  MUCH more to fix/ finish than you expected? . In that decision perhaps circumstances have changed. The idea was to "activate/ stimulate "areas outside of Melbourne. There's a different priority now and a cost increase( It Never goes the other way, ) would exacerbate  the inappropriateness of continuing.    Nev

[willedoo]

2 hours ago, octave said:

Seems like a sensible decision to me.  

I wish our government had the courage to do the same and can the Olympics. We have people on three year waiting lists for essential operations, people with jobs having to live in their cars and a lot of people struggling to find a GP who will take new patients. With all this, we are spending billions of taxpayer dollars on sporting stadiums and games infrastructure - and for what? - a state government vanity project so they can big note themselves. The sensible thing would be to cancel the games and direct all the money to Queensland Health.

[facthunter]

I suppose the Athletes could just play with themselves for another 4 years or whatever it is?  Nev

[spenaroo]

the obsession with sports and events in this country by the political parties is astounding.

it really is the roman empire with giving bread (tax breaks) and entertainment to keep the masses occupied and felling satiated.

 

No country should be hosting the Olympics or the commonwealth games in the same decade - let alone multiple times

lets not forget the only Olympics to make a profit was Atlanta in 1984 - and it was run by business groups as an example of capitalism being superior over the soviets
 

[octave]

I wonder why the Olympics cant be hosted without building new facilities each time.    One of the problems seems to be that each game has to big better than the last one.   I am sure that most capital cities in Australia already have an Olympic-sized swimming pool and courts and fields etc.  

[red750]

 

48 minutes ago, octave said:

 I am sure that most capital cities in Australia already have an Olympic-sized swimming pool and courts and fields etc.  

Melbourne has the MCG, Olympic Park, AAMI Park, (recently upgraded for the FIFA Women's World Cup), Marvel Stadium (Docklands), a swimming stadium built for the 2006 Commonwealth Games  ( Boonwurrung / Woiwurrung: Narrm 2006 or Naarm 2006 to be politically correct ), Melbourne Park (Rod Laver and John Cain Arenas, tennis stadiums also used for concerts etc.).So the plan was to hld the games in rergional areas and build the facilities there, including a swimming pool in Geelong that was to be filled in after the Games. Brilliant planning.

 

 

[spenaroo]

because standards change, and they are left to ruin afterwards.

as they don't have the necessary investment for continual improvements.

think something like fencing.
the technology has changed since the 2000 games.
would need all new strips and scoring systems. I don't know if there is any Olympic level strips in the country.
as we just aren't big enough as a sport to invest in the lighting system required for broadcast.
 

(we fence on a metal strip, thats laid on the ground. the only lights are on the scoring box for the referee.
- international events use a raised strip with lighting underneath to indicate to the spectators which fencer scored. not to mention the addition of cameras for appeals)

[octave]

If everything has to be built anew each time then perhaps this is not economically sustainable.  The practice of building Olympic or Commonwealth facilities in a new city every 4 years does seem a little crazy to me. 

[spenaroo]

well yeah.....
as I said earlier only one Olympics' has made a profit.
the whole idea of the traveling to a new host nation is absurd.
but then the idea of building athlete accommodation and leaving it empty for 4 years is equally as absurd.

It is basically one big vanity event.

what difference is there between an Olympic medal, and that years world championship medal for the individual sport?
in terms of skill and competition - I don't think there is. its just the prestige

there is a reason why we were the only people bidding to host these events.

[red750]

13 minutes ago, spenaroo said:

they are left to ruin afterwards.

Maybe elsewhere, but not in Melbourne. Most facilities are used weekly, if not daily. 

 

MCG           - AFL or cricket, concerts (eg Robbie Williams)

AAMI Park   - Rugby league, athletics, soccer

Marvel Stadium   -  AFL, concerts

Rod Laver Area    -  Tennis, concerts, BMX comps, monster trucks,  etc 

John Cain Arena  -  As for Rod Laver Arena

 

This is just a few of the uses. They can be quickly amended for various sports and other functions.

 

[red750]

1 minute ago, spenaroo said:

the idea of building athlete accommodation and leaving it empty for 4 years is equally as absurd.

The Olympic Village in Melbourne became the resdential suburb of Heidelberg West.

[spenaroo]

8 minutes ago, red750 said:

Maybe elsewhere, but not in Melbourne. Most facilities are used weekly, if not daily. 

 

MCG           - AFL or cricket, concerts (eg Robbie Williams)

AAMI Park   - Rugby league, athletics, soccer

Marvel Stadium   -  AFL, concerts

Rod Laver Area    -  Tennis, concerts, BMX comps, monster trucks,  etc 

John Cain Arena  -  As for Rod Laver Arena

 

This is just a few of the uses. They can be quickly amended for various sports and other functions.

 

yeah, the big usable main stadiums.
but what about those that have been demolished already,

like the swimming pool. velodrome, rowing course

where do you host the wrestling, gymnastics, shooting, boxing, archery etc...

Edited July 18, 2023 by spenaroo

[red750]

The swimming pool became a basketball court and conference venue, before becoming the headquarters of Collingwood Football and Netball clubs.

[octave]

I had forgotten about this but the Olympic stadium in Sydney was going to be demolished and rebuilt.

 

Sydney Olympic Stadium set to be demolished and rebuilt less than 20 years after hosting successful Games

 

Plan to demolish Sydney Olympic stadium delayed after backlash

 

Luckily good sense prevailed.   I am not suggesting that no money should go into this kind of thing or that extensive renovations should not be done. The problem is that these things tend to become about prestige, a competition between cities.    

[octave]

Here is an interesting article about

 

The Economic Impact of Hosting the Olympics

 

This is a couple of interesting quotes from the article.

 

Los Angeles is the only host city that realized a profit from the games, mostly because the required infrastructure already existed

 

 

The Bottom Line

Hosting the Olympics tends to result in severe economic deficiencies for cities. Unless a city already has the existing infrastructure to support the excess crowds pouring in, not hosting the Olympics may be the best option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by octave

[Marty_d]

How about we give the Olympics back to Greece, and every participating country pays (according to their GDP) an amount for maintenance and access?

[spenaroo]

or maybe we go back to the original ideals of it being for non-professional's and look at some sports to take out.
basketball for example, along with soccer would be another.
they stand on their own with large enough followings that they don't need the coverage that the Olympics brings to show athletes who aren't earning a livable wage from the sport.

Its still the case with wrestling and boxing

Edited July 18, 2023 by spenaroo

[willedoo]

36 minutes ago, Marty_d said:

How about we give the Olympics back to Greece, and every participating country pays (according to their GDP) an amount for maintenance and access?

Not a bad idea, as long as they don't run around with no duds on like they used to.

[red750]

Today, Basil Zempilas, Lord Mayor of Perth, and former Channel 7 sports commentator, said that despite the WA premier rejecting the idea, this was an excellent opportunity for Perth. He believes the $7 bill figure is grossly exaggerated, and the cost is more likely to be $1 bill to $1.5 bill, based on discussions with other host countries. It would also provide ongoing accommodation for 7,000 after the games are completed, and has an immeasurable positive impact on the spirit of people in the host city.