It’s the Sunshine State’s moment to shine and it’s finally here! The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games kick off tonight with 1.5 billion people worldwide tuning in to the games and our little slice of beach paradise.
The games will officially launch at around 7.00pm at Carrara Stadium where teams from 71 countries will gather and wave their flags for the Opening Ceremony.
Earlier this, Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she expects the international event to put the Gold Coast on the global tourism map and place it front-of-mind among the millions of viewers.
Tourism Australia agreed, saying that it expects the Games to deliver some $2 billion to the Australian economy and attract around 672,000 visitors, including 50,000 from overseas.
While we wait to see how the event pays off for Australia, here are a few fun facts about the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games:
It’s Australia’s 5th time hosting the Games
Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Margot Robbie MAY be there
AND Chris Hemsworth
‘Share the Dream’ is the official slogan for the event
Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
The mascot’s name is ‘Borobi’, which is aboriginal for ‘koala’
Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
And the 2018 logo is inspired by the city’s landscape and coastline
This year, there’ll be 18 spots and seven para-sports…
Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
… making it the largest integrated sports program in the event’s history
Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
A total of 275 gold medals will be earned by athletes
And it’s the first time there’ll be an equal number of medals awards at the Games
Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Click here for more fun facts on the Games.
