The Liberal Party in Victoria is in favour of holding the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Victoria 2026 Games at the GMHBA Stadium in Geelong ©Getty Images

The Liberal Party in Victoria has confirmed its conviction that Kardinia Park in Geelong must host both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The incumbent Labor Government announced last weekend that Geelong's major arena, also known as the GMHBA Stadium, would be the venue for the Closing Ceremony, with the Opening Ceremony being set for the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

But the Liberals - who will seek to gain a majority under the leadership of Matt Guy in a Victorian state election due to take place on November 26 - have said that as the 12-day event is being described as the first "regional" Commonwealth Games, the only way for "the entire Geelong region [to] reap the full benefits" would be to move the Opening Ceremony from the MCG to Kardinia Park.

Geelong will host nine sports and the Liberals are also proposing changes to the Victoria 2026 venues to be built there.

Instead of building a new aquatics centre in Armstrong Creek for swimmers, Para swimmers and divers, the Liberals would instead build a Kardinia Park Aquatic Centre to "create a truly world-class international sporting precinct".

The multi-sport facility due to host artistic gymnastics and weightlifting would be shifted from Waurn Ponds to Armstrong Creek.

Labor has proposed building an Athletes' Village south of Waurn Ponds Station, but the Liberals have not explicitly stated if they will adopt this plan or relocate the accommodation elsewhere should they form Victoria's next Government.

The incumbent Labor Government in Victoria wants the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games to be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ©Getty Images
The incumbent Labor Government in Victoria wants the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games to be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ©Getty Images

The Liberals have not yet revealed how much their revised plan for the Games in Geelong would cost.

Shadow Minister for Sport Cindy McLeish said the Opening and Closing Ceremonies must be held outside of Melbourne to make it a truly regional Victorian Commonwealth Games.

"Instead of launching the regional games in our capital city, let's take this chance to put Geelong and all it has to offer on the world stage," she said.

"There is no better choice to kick off regional Victoria's Commonwealth Games than in largest stadium outside of Melbourne."

Shadow Minister for Housing, Richard Riordan, said the Athletes' Villages would be repurposed into affordable and quality housing once the Games were run and won.

"This is a common-sense move that will put a roof over hundreds of families’ heads," Riordan insisted.

Liberal candidate for Geelong James Bennett-Hullin said the Daniel Andrews Labor Government was missing a golden opportunity.

"Only under a Matt Guy Government will Geelong truly showcase what it has to offer, while setting it up for the future."