After successfully hosting the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast - known for its stunning beaches and surf culture - is prepared to welcome some major sporting events in the near future.
"The Games has shown that Gold Coast can host major world events and that it is a new global sporting hub with unparalleled sports hosting ability.
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"Coming up are Superyachts and the Sky-diving championships, the popular Gold Coast Airport Marathon, GC 600 (supercar race) and the Magic Millions (horse racing),” Shelly Winkel, global publicity manager of Tourism and Events Queensland, said in an e-mail response to Sportstar.
"The Games may be over, but Gold Coast is only at the starting blocks," she added about the city, which grew in the 1950s and 60s due to the attraction of beach lifestyle. It became a popular training base for many well-known surfing champions including Mick Fanning, Jamie Mitchell and Stephanie Gilmore.
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Besides developing sports facilities, Gold Coast, Australia's sixth largest city, used the CWG to create some world-class infrastructure. "The $ 5 billion investment has brought us the G-Link (railway for intra-city travel), a new world-class casino with an exciting line-up of restaurants, 50-plus km of freshly-landscaped foreshores, Australia’s biggest resort-style shopping centre and a list of revamped, refreshed and brand new hotels and restaurants. It has helped redefine the city centre. Along the way, the population embraced a 'have-a-go' mentality."
The iconic tourist spot has also developed on the cultural front, highlighted by a state-of-the-art Home of Arts (HotA) and a $ 37 million 5000-seat amphitheatre, in its efforts to become a truly global city.
(The writer is in Gold Coast at the invitation of Tourism Australia)
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