Secret Commonwealth Games report shows Bendigo venues missed out

So did a Bendigo tennis centre and rifle range, with Red Energy Arena losing sports.

The details were revealed in a "highly confidential" document released on Saturday, August 19 after government negotiations with national and international Games bodies wrapped up.

The business case was presented to the premier and cabinet to help the government decide if the Games would be worthwhile, prior to the 2022 announcement Bendigo would be a host.

The document shows Bendigo was originally in line for far more sports and venue upgrades.

The government eventually scrapped plans for the Queen Elizabeth Oval to host the Games' T20 cricket competition, but early plans included potential upgrades at the grounds, like club rooms and spectator amenity along with turf nets to improve the oval's "overall on-site training amenity".

The oval was not the only venue that lost out on permanent upgrades as plans developed, the business case shows.

The government eventually ditched plans for full bore shooting at the Wellsford Rifle Range, and other shooting sports in Geelong and Little River, near Melbourne.

That came despite the City of Greater Bendigo talking up the Wellsford Rifle Range months after the Games had been publicly locked in.

The government instead sent the sport to Gippsland.

Games organisers had earlier considered changes including new ranges, club rooms and change rooms at shooting venues like Bendigo's.

"This will improve the ability of the nominated shooting ranges to host future events and enhance the facilities for community sport," the business case said.

Elsewhere in Bendigo, Nolan Street's tennis complex was in line for team tennis and para team tennis.

It would only have needed "minor refurbishments" to courts and lighting, according to the business case.

The sport of tennis was later dropped from the Games program altogether.

West Bendigo's Red Energy Arena was originally in line for three sports, not one: traditional netball, Fast5 netball and 3x3 basketball.

It was likely to need reconditioned courts "including potentially outside of Bendigo stadium if additional courts are required" and potentially changes to lighting "and improvements to amenity such as changerooms," according to the business case.

Fast5 was later dropped from the Games program.

The government also dropped plans to give Bendigo permanent 3x3 basketball courts, which the secret document said could lead "to greater participation in the sport within the local community."

As late as mid-2023, insiders were talking about a temporary basketball stadium, potentially at the Tom Floods Sports Centre.

The Bendigo Showgrounds was not named in the business case, though organisers thought the city could get a temporary squash centre at a still to be confirmed.

The exact venue was still to be confirmed when the Games were cancelled but the Showgrounds was in line for a table tennis facility along with a temporary cycling velodrome.

Even at that early stage, Bendigo Lawn Bowls Club was in line for the bowls competition and its para equivalent.

The government promised it would build all permanent Bendigo Games venues that were on the table when it cancelled the games in July.

That included courts planned for Red Energy Arena, new greens and other infrastructure at the Bendigo Bowls Club and a Bendigo Showgrounds facility.

The government cancelled plans for temporary facilities like the velodrome.

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One ongoing question has been whether permanent venue upgrades will extend to improvements that would have been needed if the Games had gone ahead, like security fencing.

The opposition previously called for certainty at venues like the Bendigo Showgrounds on that front.

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