Ballarat City Council pitches Lake Wendouree rowing event for 2026 Commonwealth Games

Lake Wendouree is one of the only internationally-accredited rowing courses in Australia. (Supplied: City of Ballarat)

Ballarat City Council has launched an ambitious pitch to add rowing events to the upcoming Commonwealth Games program in regional Victoria. 

Fresh from hosting the Australian Rowing Masters Championships last month, Mayor Daniel Moloney said the city's Lake Wendouree was the "perfect fit" to host rowing events during the games.

"We've proven to the rest of the nation we can do it well," he told ABC News.

As host of the 2026 Games, regional Victoria can add three or five additional sports to the program.

Athletics, para-athletics, boxing and Twenty20 cricket have all been confirmed for Ballarat, which will also be home to one of four regional hubs across the state.

Mr Moloney said Lake Wendouree, which held rowing events during the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, is "the one of the few places in Australia that has an internationally accredited course".

"It has a straight, two-kilometre course," he said.

"This is not the sort of thing you can do in Geelong or Nagambie [near Seymour].

As part of its pitch, the council has produced a five-minute video that showcases Lake Wendouree.

The video has been sent to key stakeholders, including the Victorian government and Commonwealth Games Australia.

Mr Moloney said the video had attracted a "positive reaction so far".

"But we don't want to get too ahead of ourselves of course," he said.

Lake Wendouree is no stranger to holding rowing events. (Supplied: City of Ballarat )

Program planning continues

Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive officer Craig Phillips AM would not be drawn on whether rowing was a possibility for Ballarat at the 2026 games, but said he was pleased the event "continues to generate excitement in regional Victoria".

"We are working with the Commonwealth Games Federation and the Victorian government in determining the sports for inclusion on the program as part of the phase two process," he said.

A spokesperson for the Victorian government said it was "working with the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia on the inclusion of additional sports for the 2026 games, and those discussions will be finalised by the end of the year".