‘Give Gold Coast the money’: Katie Page backs joint Commonwealth Games
Harvey Norman chief executive Katie Page has become the latest high-profile executive to throw support behind another Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, urging the Victorian government to give the money it was planning to spend to mayor Tom Tate.
Ms Page said Premier Daniel Andrews and his government did not consider the net benefit of funding a Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria when it abruptly cancelled the event, but argued it could go ahead if sports were split between different states, or even countries. She said governments needed to think differently about spending money on sport.
Harvey Norman CEO Katie Page with Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus. Ms Page wants corporates and government to make investment in sport a priority. James Brickwood
“If Dan’s going to give the Comm Games [executive team] an amount of money… give it to Tom Tate,” she told The Australian Financial Review.
“Tom Tate and [Birmingham mayor] Andy Street each ran the most successful Comm Games. If Australia cannot complete all the sports as promised, get Andy involved. What’s wrong with having a northern and southern hemisphere Comm Games? Be a bit contemporary.”
Ms Page’s comments were made as Harvey Norman was named the official partner of the Australian Olympic Team and renewed its partnership with the Australian Paralympic Team for the 2024 tournaments .
Harvey Norman was also the official partner of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The Commonwealth Games remains in limbo after Victoria sensationally pulled the pin as host of the event, claiming an operating cost blowout from $2.6 billion to $7 billion. Mining magnate Gina Rinehart last week said she would back the Gold Coast’s bid to save the 2026 Commonwealth Games,
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