Australia Games
Australia Games was held in Melbourne, Victoria, from 26 January to 5 February 1985.[1]
Background
[edit]The concept of the national festival of sport was first raised in John Bloomfiel's report Role and Scope and Development of Recreation in Australia published in 1973.[2] In 1981, a report titled Report on the Feasibility of Australia Games resulted in the Fraser government approving the staging of a national sports festival in 1983.[3] The Australia Games Foundation was established and registered in Victoria as a trustee company in 1982.[2] The Games were part of Victoria's 150th anniversary.[3] The Games had several objectives: improve access to international competition for Australian athletes in their own environment, increase media exposure to non high-profile sports and to encourage the construction of new multi-purpose facilities of international standard.[4]
Victoria was due to host the 1987 Games after Sydney and Brisbane decided not to host them due to the cost overruns on the inaugural Games.[5] The 1987 Games did not occur due to cost issues. In 1986, it was estimated that the 1987 Games would cost $3.2 million. But the Games did not proceed after the Hawke government decided not to provide $500,000 in funding due to budgetary pressures and the Victorian Government decided not to fund the 1987 Games after uncertainty in its overall funding.[6]
Funding
[edit]The cost of staging the Games was estimated at $2 million. The Australian Government allocated $800,000 in the 1984-1985 budget and the Victorian Government provided $375,000.The balance came from the business sector. The major expenditure items were $700,000 international air travel, $200,000 for Domestic air travel and $300,000 for University of Melbourne accommodation charges.[3]
Victorian auditor-general in a 1986 report detailed massive cost overruns in the management of the Games. The Victorian Government provided the Australia Games Foundation $920,000 more than the initial grant of $375,000.[5]
Victorian Government estimated that the economic impact of the 1985 Games to the Victorian economy was $18.1 million.[1]
Summary
[edit]- 1,848 athletes (including 804 from overseas) from 31 countries.[1][2][7]
- 928 officials and 1,396 volunteers[2]
- Spectator attendance - 92,767[2]
- Gate receipts - $364,966[2]
- Integration of disabled athletes in to athletics, swimming, basketball, lawn bowls, netball and weightlifting competitions.[1]
- Capacity crowds at the opening ceremony, basketball, gymnastics, aquatics, netball and surf life saving.[1]
- Seven Network provided 70 hours of television coverage.
Sports and venues
[edit]| Sport | Venue |
|---|---|
| Athletics | Olympic Park Stadium |
| Badminton | Monash University Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre |
| Basketball | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre |
| Boxing | Festival Hall |
| Cycling | Northcote Cycling Velodrome |
| Diving | State Swimming Centre |
| Field hockey | Royal Park |
| Gymnastics | Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre |
| Judo | Albert Park |
| Lawn bowls | Doncaster Bowling Club |
| Netball | Festival Hall |
| Shooting sports | Geelong Small Bore Range Melbourne Gun Club Springvale Moving Target Range |
| Softball | Gilbert Park, Knox |
| Squash | Albert Park Squash Courts |
| Surf lifesaving | Ocean Grove |
| Swimming | State Swimming Centre |
| Synchronized swimming | State Swimming Centre |
| Trampolining | Croydon Leisure Centre |
| Volleyball | Morwell Sports Stadium Corio Leisure Centre |
| Water polo | State Swimming Centre |
| Weightlifting | Hawthorn Recreation Centre |
| Wrestling | Footscray Institute of Technology |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Australian Bureau of Statistics (1986). Year Book of Australia 1986. Canberra: AGPS. pp. 678–679.
- ^ a b c d e f Inaugural Australia Games Melbourne 1985: Operations Report. Melbourne: Australia Games Organising Committee. 1985.
- ^ a b c Australia Games: Melbourne January 26 - February 3, 1985: Official Souvenir Program. Melbourne: Time Inc. 1985.
- ^ Report on the feasibility of Australia Games. Mt Waverley, Vic.: J.F. Brown. 1981.
- ^ a b "Funding cloud over Australia games' future". Launceston Examiner. 27 March 1986.
- ^ "Australia Games may be called off, says Trezise". The Age. 10 June 1986.
- ^ "Australian Sports Commission" (PDF). Annual Report: 7. 1984–1985. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.