Five years after launching the idea at Victoria Park Lake, Greater Shepparton finally learned the role it would play in the 2026 Regional Victoria Commonwealth Games on Wednesday afternoon.
Making use of its world class facility at Shepparton Sports City, the region will play host to the BMX racing competition, along with the men’s and women’s time trials for the road cycling.
This will create a festival of cycling in Greater Shepparton, giving it the opportunity to showcase its features on a global stage.
Making the trip to the Goulburn Valley to confirm the news, Deputy Premier and Commonwealth Games Delivery Minister Jacinta Allan said Shepparton was officially now one of five host cities for the Games.
“When we made the initial announcement that not only Victoria was hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but it was coming to regional Victoria, we always made it clear that there would be an opportunity for Shepparton to play a central role,” Allan said.
“We just needed a little bit of time to work through the full sports program to come back and make today’s announcement, so we certainly thank the Shepparton community for their keenness, advocacy and patience.
“Shepparton can absolutely see itself as one of our five regional host cities, we will have the sporting program in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland and Shepparton and those cities will be hosting athletes from around the world.”
Greater Shepparton and its surrounds was a suitor for a number of different events, ranging from rowing to long distance running.
But when it came to deciding which would be the best fit, Allan said cycling stood out as the best option.
“Cycling is a great fit for Shepparton, there is already the existing BMX facility which has already played host to international events, so we know it is of the quality and standard we need,” she said.
“There is a great cycling community here in central and northern Victoria, it is a sport many people have a great passion for and we are thrilled to have it here in Shepparton.”
She then went onto say how this festival of cycling would showcase the best of what Greater Shepparton has to offer.
“It is such a great tourism and economic opportunity for Shepparton, to be on TV screens around the world and have people think this is a place I really want to go,” she said.
“That also brings a lot of job opportunities and wide-ranging benefits for the future of the region.”
Shepparton will also welcome a major cultural festival to run alongside these sporting events, giving the region an opportunity to showcase its rich culture.
Centred around the world-class Shepparton Art Museum, the festival will feature an array of events, experiences and exhibitions, that will further add to the tourism and economic opportunities of the Games.
“A really strong part of hosting the Commonwealth Games is that alongside the sporting program there is a really strong cultural program,” Allan said.
“Sport, community and culture they all come together around communities wanting to showcase the best of themselves to the world.
“And here in Shepparton we’ve got this wonderful opportunity, the richness of the First Nations culture and its history, the strong multi-cultural community, we want everyone to get involved in helping to organise, volunteer, participate and enjoy the 2026 Commonwealth Games.”
With the list of sports now finalised for the Games, Allen said the organising committee would now go about allocating venues for the rest of the events, and didn’t rule out further involvement for Greater Shepparton.
“Today we were able to announce the final sports program, locking in the additional sports, while also announcing Shepparton’s role in the 2026 Commonwealth Games,” she said.
“Over the next couple of weeks we will be announcing where those other sports will be going across other parts of regional Victoria.”
17°C