Banks belted over Games
GOLD Coast Commonwealth Games boss Peter Beattie has lashed out at the big four banks, labelling them out of touch for refusing to sponsor next year’s event.
Amid questions about the relevance of the quadrennial event, Beattie has declared the Gold Coast ready to match the success of Melbourne’s 2006 Games. Organisers say they are on time and on budget, with ticket sales tracking well, ahead of the April 4 opening ceremony.
But while more than 50 sponsors have signed up, none of ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank or Westpac has agreed to back the event — something Beattie has described as an outrage.
The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation chairman says the event will help to combat Australia’s obesity crisis and the banks have a social responsibility to reach into their pockets.
“We have four banks in this country that are making an absolute motza, and not one of them is a sponsor for the Commonwealth Games,” Beattie said yesterday at a Melbourne Press Club function. “I think that’s an outrage. “If you’re going to invest in a future where we want to inspire a whole new generation of athletes, surely a small million or a million-and-a-half ... maybe it could come out of someone’s bonus along the way.
“I think, culturally, they’re actually out of touch.” The recent plight of the Gold Coast’s two major sporting teams — the NRL’s Titans and AFL’s Suns — has led to questions of whether professional sport will flourish on the tourist strip.
Beattie, who sits on the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) says he is confident that there is enough interest to sustain the two clubs. The former Queensland premier noted 47,000 volunteers had signed up for the Games — three times the number organisers had been targeting.
“I think the Gold Coast will be changed significantly by the Games,” Beattie said. “You’ve got this huge engagement across the Gold Coast. I think that’s going to continue for the sporting teams.
“I’m quite optimistic when [the Titans and Suns[ improve in terms of their performance on the field, you’re going to see an enormous amount of support.’’