Commonwealth Games in Adelaide

[jk1237]

If Brisbane get the Olympics in the next 50 years, I will run down Rundle Mall naked. I cant see it happening.

I hope we go for the Commonwealth Games. Yes it is a slight waste of money, but the infrastructure spending that comes with it is what I want to see

[Wayno]

If Brisbane get the Olympics in the next 50 years, I will run down Rundle Mall naked. I cant see it happening.

ewww, i hope they never win.

[crawf]

It will be a very very long time when Adelaide gets the Olympic Games (thats if it will ever happen)

The next time a Australian city host the games will be after 2040

[Jim]

This is not the infrastructure SA needs. We must to get our mining boom off the ground first, not to spend $1 Billion in sporting facilities. Our priority should be port upgrades, rail links, a power interconnector from Roxby to Queensland, schools, hospitals, regional development, weirs and lochs, solar and geothermal power plants and education. We need to earn our wealth before we spend it.

[Aidan]

There is another good reason not to bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games:

Despite the large number of African countries competing, the Commonwealth Games have never been held in Africa. It's about time they were, so if we bid we'd be running against a strong sentimental favourite, as we did the time we lost out to Kuala Lumpur.

Nigeria has already announced it will put in a bid (probably Abuja, though possibly Lagos) and several others African countries / cities are likely to be interested. So it makes sense to wait until after the Games have been awarded to an African country.

[adam73837]

I think that it would be great to have the Commonwealth Games in Adelaide. Providing that we have the state aquatic centre built IN THE CBD, NOT AT MARION, (RANN, YOU F***), decent public & private transport systems and of course, a decent stadium IN A DECENT LOCATION.
In order to get all of these things, we'd have to wait until after 2018, so I'd prefer to bid for 2022. If of course Rann wins the next election, we can just kiss any improvements to Adelaide goodbye, because Rann and his guard dog Furious Foley are idiots, -end of story. AND they're going to lose their government (that has quite a few good ministers) the next election. But wait, how can I put down Rann, because according to most people on this forum, the light shines out of his ass!
I ain't saying that MHS is the best, not for a second, but like I've said many times, if Rann and his guard dog Furious Foley don't step down, they'll lose their government the next election, regardless of how many times they try to upgrade our PT System, fail miserably, then blame other people for it by telling them that they're a bunch of bloody wingers or that they should wear lighter clothes on trams, etc. Yeah, I know, within a few days, someone will have posted on this forum that I'm a 'bloody winger'. Maybe I am. And maybe are about a million other people living in Adelaide. But we wouldn't be bloody wingers if we didn't have such a pathetic Premier and Treasurer. THIS STATE DESERVES BETTER!!!
But I must admit, now that I've got everyone's attention, that if there's one thing that I do like about Rann, it's this:
Whenever the public supports something that his opposition, or someone that he doesn't like, has done or said, Rann immediately does the same thing and claims that its his idea. It's pathetic of him, I know, but at least we actually get decent things in the end. All that we need is pressure on Rann, and HE WILL FALL OVER LIKE A DOMINO.
What does that have to do with anything? Well, MHS and the Liberals have been pushing for the inner city stadium for a while, and now that they're going to gain more attention by saying that they'll bid for the Commonwealth Games in 2018, Rann's Government will announce their MASTERPLAN TO BUILD A NEW WORLD-CLASS INNER CITY STADIUM THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH PRESSURE FROM THE PUBLIC OR THE OPPOSITION
My friends, expect to see a world-class stadium being announced for the city fairly soon... (we got the rail electrification -opposition; we got the ACC Planning Powers taken away -Opposition; we're going to get the new stadium -Opposition; noticing the pattern?).
Oh, I can't WAIT for the new stadium!

Glad to get that out of your system, Martin?

Firstly, I didn't say the State Labor Government are the idiots/ enemy, I stated that Media Mike and Furious Foley are.
Secondly, I ain't MHS (for about the 5th time -see what I mean? If ever someone attacks Rann on these forums, they are immediately labelled as MHS or are put down in some other way. In case people haven't noticed, MHS isn't the only person in SA that detests Rann -and believe me, there are many!)

[omada]

Initially I almost laughed at this proposal by the Libs, but after some thought I found myself attracted to the idea, the Commonwealth Games would go some way to shake Adelaide's pervasive inferiority complex.

[Aidan]

Initially I almost laughed at this proposal by the Libs, but after some thought I found myself attracted to the idea, the Commonwealth Games would go some way to shake Adelaide's pervasive inferiority complex.

Only a bid likely to succeed would do that!

A successful bid for the 2022 or 2026 games would not just shake but totally destroy the inferiority complex (which is gradually evaporating anyway). But another unsuccessful bid too soon would worsen it.

I'm surprised nobody's yet mentioned that as a poll pledge this would be a complete non starter, as Australia's bid will be decided before the next state election. And public opinion's lukewarm, so Rann's not going to run with it. It won't happen.

[UrbanSG]

Not sure what I think of the idea to bid for the Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth Games really is a bit meh, even when Melbourne had it, it wasn't that interesting, nothing like the Olympics.

Anyway take a look at this shit from the Gold Coast paper (linked from the adelaidenow website), what a load of crap. I can understand Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane having a go at Adelaide now and then but the Gold Coast? They are the height of Australian trash. Good infrastructure? What virtually no public transport, hmmm :wank:

Boring SA in for a Games fight
Steve Spinks
August 26th, 2008

IT'S no wonder Opposition Leader Dr Brendan Nelson is struggling in the polls.

After all, his leadership could be likened to the city he has put his support behind to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games - Adelaide. Nice enough but a bit boring.

Dr Nelson announced his personal support for the City of Churches at the weekend while in town for the Liberals' annual general meeting.

"I realise that the great state of Queensland is also wanting to bid for the Commonwealth Games but I spent 13 years living in Adelaide," he said.

"I love South Australia. I love Queensland. But I'm backing Martin Hamilton-Smith (SA Opposition leader)."

Dr Nelson's view, while it will not cause a split in the party, has been condemned by the Federal Liberal Member for Moncrieff, Steve Ciobo.

"I think the comments were tongue in cheek but with this issue I'm happy to announce from the rooftops that I'm 100 per cent backing the Gold Coast," said Mr Ciobo yesterday.

"I'll reinforce my views and the Gold Coast's superiority with Dr Nelson's office but I welcome the Adelaide bid because I think it will highlight how much better the Gold Coast is."

The federal Liberal Member for McPherson, Margaret May, also supports the Gold Coast bid.

It is still unclear whether Adelaide will actually bid for the Games.

It already has the Adelaide Festival of the Arts where bearded folk can get down to the latest Angelique Kidjo album.

Mr Hamilton-Smith is behind the bid talk but it has not been supported by the state's Labor Government.

A spokesman for Premier Mike Rann has been reported as saying 'it's not something being considered by the Premier'.

Mr Hamilton-Smith has promised he will bid for the Games if elected in 2010, but Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief executive officer Perry Crosswhite said should Australia bid for the 2018 Games, a bid city will be decided in the second half of 2009.

Several prominent locals also believe the Opposition Leader has got it wrong.

Commonwealth and Olympic Games gold medallist Glynis Nunn-Cearns said there was no competition.

"I lived in Adelaide from 1982 for eight years," said Ms Nunn-Cearns.

"There is more infrastructure set up here on the Gold Coast and Adelaide is a bit dead. There's nothing really happening down there.

"It's also really cold in winter and really hot in summer. I remember having to take cold showers in the middle of the night because it was so hot."

Gold Coast Tourism chief executive officer Martin Winter, who up until three months ago was an Adelaide resident, also believes the Gold Coast is superior.

"We believe the Gold Coast is unmatched in terms of natural attractions and with additional infrastructure there wouldn't be many others that could beat what we have to offer," he said. "Even though I've only recently come from Adelaide, I don't believe they could put together a bid to match the Gold Coast."

The chairman of Queensland Events Gold Coast, Kerry Watson, said the Gold Coast was ideal for a Commonwealth Games. "I think some of those other cities are seen more as major business centres, whereas the appeal of the Gold Coast is that it's the playground of Australia," he said.

Gold Coast Titans chairman Paul Broughton, who originally floated the idea of a Commonwealth Games bid in 2007, believes the glamour strip is primed to go.

"Adelaide is a nice city but I don't think it has the vibrancy of the Gold Coast," he said.

"I think Adelaide has zero population growth while we're expecting to be around 800,000 in a few years. We are about to start surfing a golden wave of opportunity and if we don't grab it we'll regret it."

Even Adelaide residents don't think much of the place.

In an internet poll conducted by Acepolls, 25 per cent of respondents agreed Adelaide sucked while 25 per cent thought it wasn't too bad. Half of the respondents agreed Adelaide was a better place to live than Tasmania.

[Norman]

That was the most :wank: article I have seen in my life...

It already has the Adelaide Festival of the Arts where bearded folk can get down to the latest Angelique Kidjo album.

That's just like saying that the Gold Coast theme parks are full of trashy slutbags that may or may not be children, with paedophiles around each corner to take their "golden snap". Seriously, what a load of :wank:

[Will]

The 'quality' of the 'journalism' displayed in that article says more about the Gold Coast than Adelaide. I thought I had seen bad journalism in the Advertiser but that article introduces a new low. Steve Spinks should get a medal for using evidence such as an internat poll, and the opinions of a woman with a bad haircut who hasn't lived in Adelaide in 20 years as well as those of a rugby player to attack Adelaide.

[AtD]

In the words of Mike Rann, "The South Australian Government will gladly provide Queensland with inflatable plastic pandas. It would be more fitting with the rest of the tourist attractions there"

Articles like that aren't worth replying to.

[Shuz]

The Gold Coast must be the high school playground of Australia when you have bully-boy quotes, tactics, and reports like that one.

In an internet poll conducted by Acepolls, 25 per cent of respondents agreed Adelaide sucked while 25 per cent thought it wasn't too bad. Half of the respondents agreed Adelaide was a better place to live than Tasmania.

What the fuck has this to do with anything?

In an internet statement made by Shuz, he thinks that Gold Coast residents are consistently under the influence of either drugs or alcohol, or are just insanely illiterate and stupid. Outlandish statements, sensationalist egostistiscm and mediocre journalism is all I can make of out of this poorly executed article. What they have just printed makes no sense whatsoever, and everyone is now dumber for having read that.

And for the record, I don't believe super-sized water consuming theme parks are considered 'infrastructure'.

[Will409]

I am already (genuinely) feeling sick but I think after reading that article, I think I need to go to Hospital! I thought the Advertiser was the benchmark for poor journalism but that is just low.

[AtD]

Sour grapes, anyone? The article really needs no comment, it speaks for itself.

And WTF is Southwark?

Let Adelaide crow about our pandas
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/200 ... -news.html
August 26th, 2008

ADELAIDE'S puzzling penchant for trying to pinch Gold Coast initiatives is starting to wear a bit thin.

Not content with nicking the pandas originally destined for the Gold Coast, the so-called City of Festivals -- in a charge led by the state's Liberal opposition, aided and abetted by Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson -- wants to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

They have to be kidding.

The city is like a step back in time, a return to the 1950s, and with that in mind the thought occurs -- perhaps the crow eaters are wistfully wanting to return to a more genteel era when an outing to the Adelaide Oval always included tea and cucumber sandwiches and the gathering of the Commonwealth's elite sportsmen and women was known as the Empire Games.

The windy wasted space known as the Rundle Mall in the heart of Adelaide's church-encircled CBD and the quaint tram that rattles its way to Glenelg, where nothing much ever happens, just will not cut it.

Certainly, the Adelaide area has some things going for it. It produces some excellent wines but it also produces a beer called Southwark, bought in huge quantities by Queensland hoteliers and inflicted on desperate drinkers during the devastating Brisbane beer strikes of the 1970s.

Adelaide is open to the fiercest of elements, with winds blowing off the Antarctic or from the desert, whereas our Gold Coast is open all hours for fun and excitement and has a climate that is envied around the world.

So what is driving these Adelaide people, other than cynical political gain?

Adelaide means 'noble kind', which might explain the born-to-rule air of superiority some of its folk like to adopt.

Take former foreign minister Alexander Downer who, in a political sleight of hand that must have amazed even the Chinese authorities, managed to purloin the pandas that had been earmarked for the Gold Coast despite the solid groundwork put in by the Currumbin Sanctuary.

Gold Coasters have not forgotten how grateful the Chinese were to the sanctuary and by association, this city, for the koala-breeding program set up in Guangzhou in southern China and how, when an incredibly rare event happened and koala twins were born, the offer was made to convince the Chinese government to send a panda pair here.

As momentum built, all that remained was for the respective governments to sign off on the deal at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation conference last year, yet the creatures were suddenly on their way to Mr Downer's home town of Adelaide where, we are now told, Wang Wang and Funi will arrive at the zoo in late 2009 and set about breeding duties -- and presumably keep the otherwise bored populace entertained.

A lot of Poms might feel at home in Adelaide, but not many Queenslanders would -- and we make up most of the Games teams.