MELBOURNE, Jan 18: Melbourne wants to bring the Olympics back to the city that hosted the Games in 1956 and may bid for either the 2024 or 2028 event, a media report said on Sunday.

The Age said Rod Eddington, chairman of the Victorian Major Events Company, the body that would lead the bid, had informed the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) of the city’s interest.

AOC chief John Coates confirmed that he had spoken with Eddington and said Melbourne, which hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2006, was well placed because it already had so many world-class sporting facilities.

“The Melbourne Cricket Ground would have to be at the centre of the bid, it would have to be,” Coates was quoted as saying.

“Melbourne has most of the sporting facilities already in place. In fact, the only issue in terms of venues is that you would need to develop a new rowing and canoeing course.

“You would certainly go out and market the fact that Melbourne has a strong history of holding successful sporting events.”

Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said he would support a bid.

“I’m very keen to see the Olympics in Melbourne; it’s the best city in Australia for the staging of major events,” he said.

Although staging the Games is hugely expensive, Melbourne already has plenty of stadiums and would be able to stage a comparatively “cheap” Olympics, unlike Beijing or London, which have had to build most of the venues, Coates added.

The timing of any bid would depend on Australia’s attempt to land the football World Cup in either 2018 or 2022 with a decision on those events set for December next year, the paper said.

Australia last hosted the Olympics in 2000 in Sydney.—AFP