Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) will inject $13 million into bespoke sport initiatives and direct athlete support aimed at delivering team success at the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.

An additional contribution by CGA to program sports beyond preparation funding provided by the Federal Government, the commitment brings to $69 million the amount that CGA has invested in athletes, and their sports, since 1996.

CGA aspires to be the number one nation in terms of gold medals won, overall medals won, medallists and the number of sports winning medals at the sixth Games to be held in Australia in just under three years’ time.

Green2Gold2Great is charged with supporting this reality.

The Investment allocation of $10.7 million will be split across two components, dubbed Foundation and Performance. A further $2 million will be used for direct athlete support payments.

An initial Foundation allocation will be provided to each program sport based on the likely number of athletes that will qualify and be selected as members of the Victoria 2026 team. The amount allocated per athlete will be determined on a pro-rate basis considering overall projected team size and total funds available.

A Performance allocation is contestable and will be afforded to program sports based on merit. The sport initiatives deemed most likely to contribute to delivering team success will be funded.

A Recognition allocation of $300,000 will be activated across the period. This is focused on the opportunity of a home Games in Victoria and connecting with communities, focused on elevating the profile of Australia’s performance through the campaign leading up to, during and beyond Victoria 2026.

CGA CEO Craig Phillips AM said that continued investment in athletes and the sports in which they compete would help strengthen their preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

“After topping the medal tally at both Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022, our goal is to once again be the number one nation at home in Victoria. Green2Gold2Great supports making that a reality,” Phillips said.

“The funding is designed to complement other sources of performance investment, and for some sports where contributions are small, this can provide the tools they need for athletes to success.”

“Commonwealth Games Australia is very proud of the fact it can commit such a large quantum to our program sports, and we look forward to working with them to support athletes in their preparations,” Phillips added.

Chef de Mission for Victoria 2026 and nine-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Petria Thomas OAM welcomed the announcement, noting the key role that the support plays in team success.

“Athletes are at the heart of our ability to succeed, and this funding contributes to making their dreams a reality. There’s no greater prize than winning gold for your country, and it’s awesome that CGA can contribute to achieving this goal for so many,” Thomas said.

“With less than three years to go, we want to work to put our athletes in the strongest position possible to compete and excel, while we focus on making their experience great and competition environment as high performance minded as possible.”

Table Tennis Australia, a recipient of funding in the 2019-2022 cycle, exemplified the focus on bespoke sport initiatives by developing an Automated Match Analysis system, which uses artificial intelligence for performance analysis.

“The Automated Analysis project that has been possible through the funding from CGA, has expanded the capabilities of our program to analyse our key opponents,” said Alois Rosario, National Head Coach – Para for Table Tennis Australia.

“It has meant that we are leading the International Para Table Tennis world in analysis.  In the future, it will lead to an exponential increase in our ability to gain information on our opponents which in turn, I hope, will lead to exciting results for Australian Para Table Tennis.”

Australia topped the medal tally in Birmingham last year, with 178 medals, including 67 gold, 57 silver and 54 bronze, edging out England who claimed a total of 176 medals and 57 gold.

This followed on from the success of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, where Australia finished with 198 medals, including 80 gold, well ahead of England with 135 medals and 45 gold.

Green2Gold2Great is made possible by the income earned on investments made by the Australian Commonwealth Games Foundation, sponsorship revenue and fundraising activities, including the legacy of hosting great Games here in Australia.

CGA receives no funding from the Australian Government, Australian Sports Commission (ASC), Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) or the State/Territory Institute/Academies of Sport. CGA does recognise and acknowledge these high-performance system partners do provide significant financial and service support directly to a member Sport and athletes for their preparation for a Commonwealth Games.