ARU congratulates Gold Coast on winning Commonwealth Games bid

Australian Rugby Union congratulates the Queensland Government and all involved with the 2018 Commonwealth Games bid following today's momentous decision to return the event to Australia in seven years time at the Gold Coast.

At an assembly in St Kitts in the West Indies, 70 Commonwealth Games Federation delegates voted 43-27 for the Gold Coast in a two-way race with Sri Lankan city Hambantota.

It will be Australia's fifth hosting of the Commonwealth Games, following Sydney (1938), Perth (1962), Brisbane (1982) and Melbourne (2006).

The 2010 Games were held in Delhi, India, and the 2014 event will be staged in Glasgow, Scotland.

ARU Managing Director and CEO John O'Neill AO said the decision to award the Commonwealth Games to the Gold Coast was a wonderful boost to the game of Sevens as well as the State of Queensland and the country in general.

"Gold Coast is the new home for the only Australian leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series. Now it will also be home in 2018 to the Commonwealth Games where our Australian Sevens team will bid for gold," said Mr O'Neill.

"It's another spectacular development for Sevens Rugby in Australia.

"Rugby has been welcomed back to the Olympic family with Sevens to be included from 2016 in Rio.

"When you add the Sevens World Series and the Commonwealth Games - and a Commonwealth Games in our own backyard on the Gold Coast - it's exciting times for Rugby and for Sevens in particular.

"I would like to congratulate Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, Queensland Events and all those involved in the Commonwealth Games bid for their success today.

"They will be thrilled, and so too is the ARU."