By DPA,
Sydney : Australia Wednesday joined Nigeria in offering to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018 with Queensland’s Gold Coast the chosen venue.
“We are very excited about putting forward this bid to our fellow Commonwealth Games Associations from 70 Commonwealth nations,” Australian Commonwealth Games Association president Sam Coffa said in a statement.
The Queensland state government is promising financial support for the Gold Coast, which is 75 kilometres south of Brisbane.
Abuja, the Nigerian capital, is so far the only other bidder.
Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, had its bid prejudiced earlier this month when the central government refused to underwrite the cost of running the event.
Australia hosted the Games in Sydney in 1938, in Perth in 1962, in Brisbane in 1982 and in Melbourne in 2006.
India’s capital, New Delhi, will host the Games in October. Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, will be the venue in 2014.
The successful bidder for 2018 will be announced in November 2011.