• Commonwealth Games

Gold Coast wins race to host 2018 Commonwealth Games

ESPN staff
November 11, 2011
Hurdler Sally Pearson and tennis star Sam Stosur are both Gold Coast residents © Getty Images
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Australia will host the Commonwealth Games for a fifth time after the Gold Coast was awarded the 2018 event over Sri Lanka's Hambantota.

Hambantota, which was devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, was unable to convince members of the Commonwealth nations of the merits of its campaign as it lost by 43 votes to 27 in a meeting on the Caribbean island of St Kitts.

With no international airport, untested security, it was labelled as 'medium to high risk' in a recent evaluation report.

Despite an anticipated debt of around £1 billion, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh insisted the games were a "once in a generation opportunity". "I'm so proud of this team, I'm so proud of the Gold Coast, I'm so proud of being a Queenslander tonight," Bligh said.

Sydney hosted the then British Empire Games in 1938, followed by Perth (1962), Brisbane (1982) and Melbourne (2006).

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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