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Queensland prepares for Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

Announcement posted by Expotrade 16 Nov 2015

The Gold Coast maintains a thriving history as a coastal city, rising rapidly as a major developmental hotspot in the 1980s.

16th November 2015, Brisbane, QLD: The Gold Coast maintains a thriving history as a coastal city, rising rapidly as a major developmental hotspot in the 1980s. Today the city is a significant tourist destination with its white sandy beaches and dominant high-rise skyline.


As the state’s second most popular destination second to Brisbane by international and domestic arrivals, the Gold Coast has witnessed a nearly 30% increase in population over the past decade alone, facilitating in the economic and cultural rise of the region.

In continuation of these trends, the Gold Coast has been announced to host the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, an opportunity which presents a huge boon to the development of infrastructure and tourism in the region.


The 21st Commonwealth Games will be the largest, elite, multi-sport event ever held within the Gold Coast, spread across 18 competition venues located in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Cairns and Townsville.


40,000 spectators are expected to be attending both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games, with 1.5 million tickets expected to be sold to a global broadcast audience of 1.5 billion people.


The construction of the Commonwealth Games Village will inject an estimated $500 million into the local economy over the next five years and generate more than 1,500 jobs during its construction.


The Queensland government has committed more than $10 billion towards infrastructure in the latest state budget, including the building of a new integrated Townsville Stadium and Entertainment Precinct worth $315 million, situated in the heart of Townsville’s redeveloped Waterfront.


This broad spending in infrastructure will also provide opportunity post-event, with the development of the Gold Coast's Health and Knowledge Precinct. The area will eventually incorporate the Games Village and generate thousands of permanent jobs in health, knowledge, innovation and service sectors.


These infrastructure projects include the development of the $1.8 billion Gold Coast University Hospital which overlooks the Games Village; an expansion of Griffith University which aims to enhance the lasting legacy of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Australia has hosted an extensive range of Commonwealth Games dating back to 1938. The most recent rendition, the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, is considered the largest sporting and cultural event ever held in Victoria, generating more than $1.6 billion for the state.


More than 5,700 athletes and officials took part in the games, facilitating in more than 1.5 million tickets being sold. In addition, more than $270 million was spent by an estimated 100,000 tourists arriving to witness the spectacle.


The Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games also precipitated a huge push towards infrastructure development, with the complete refurbishment of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.


In discussion of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Queensland Infrastructure Projects Conference will be held on the 1st & 2nd of December to review infrastructure projects related to the event. Nigel Chamier, Chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation, will be speaking at the conference.


As part of infrastructure preparation for the Commonwealth Games, $64 million will be spent on reducing congestion across Gold Coast’s roads, along with more than $320 million to fund construction of the Carrara precinct, athlete’s village and upgrades to existing sport and community infrastructure.


The conference is an opportunity for industry leaders and government officials to share ideas on common challenges and acquire the latest information on major infrastructure projects shaping the development of Queensland.


The Queensland Infrastructure Projects conference 2015 is being held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on the 1st & 2nd of December.


Source: Expotrade Global News