Bendigo Bowls Club hosts Commonwealth Games organisers for 2026 Regional Victoria event

Led by Commonwealth Games Federation president Dame Louise Martin, the group started its tour at the Bendigo Bowls Club, which will host more than 200 lawn bowlers from 28 countries as part of the Commonwealth Games.

Dame Louise and Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan met with bowls club member to discuss the 2026 Regional Victoria games.

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Accompanying them was Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chair Peggy O'Neal and committee chief executive Jeroen Weimar.

"We're doing a whole tour of regional Victoria, so that we can showcase it and let everybody know that we are here and why we've chosen Victoria to host the Games in 2026," Dame Louise said.

"This is the first one we have visited...

"We take each hub on merit and by the end of the week will know exactly where we're going to be pushing everything."

"We take each hub on merit and by the end of the week will know exactly where we're going to be pushing everything."

Deputy premier and Bendigo East MP Jacinta Allan said the tour was an opportunity for sporting facilities to learn from this year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

"To have the people that ran that event come into the regions and host cities," she said.

"We are doing this with the regional host cities to discuss how to make improvements and tailor the Games to each regional centre.

"It's important to have leaders such as Peggy and Jeroen visit and to have people - including Dame Louise - that ran the Birmingham event come was pretty special."

Dame Louise said regional Victoria was home to some spectacular sporting facilities.

"The facility is absolutely terrific. We know that," she said. "I know there's one or two new ones planning on being built depending on what happens with a sports program.

"But what you've got here is also the legacy that it will leave for people living in the area, the youngsters coming up for future games, wherever they may be.

"(The Bendigo Bowls Club members) are all so proud of the bowls facility, it's terrific. I was here in 2004 when you had the youth games."

Ms Allan said each sporting venue would have different needs to address ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

"Bendigo Stadium is very well setup already and the Bendigo Bowls Club is concentrating on things like temp seating and associated support structures," she said.

"One of the key factors in regional Victoria hosting an event like this is that there are already many great venues and people that run, work and volunteer at those venues."

Success of multiple, smaller athlete villages at this year's Birmingham Commonwealth Games helped pave the way for regional Victoria's selection as the 2026 Commonwealth Games host.

"This will be a first - the first big regional (games)," Dame Louise said. "Birmingham had to end up doing four different villages due to COVID. It was thrust upon them.

"Having seen that starting to work properly, that's why Victoria decided (it) could do this. We've been looking at ways to expand it to be something different for the Commonwealth Games. To us the regional aspect would be absolutely terrific.

"I'm just absolutely delighted that Victoria have decided to do it and the friendliness of the people here will make this for everybody."

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