Queensland Premier Anna Bligh (pictured above), a member of the Australian Labor Party, had hoped to establish the new Board at the beginning of the year.

However, these plans were delayed due to the looming election, which could see Bligh ousted from her role by the Liberal National Party candidate Campbell Newman.

Bligh announced last month that the election would take place on March 24, the first time in Queensland's history that voters know the election date in advance of Parliament being dissolved.

Should Bligh win the election, she is likely to oversee the preparations for the Games personally by appointing herself as Commonwealth Games Minister.

The Gold Coast 2018 bid team Board will stay in place in the meantime.

Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) President Sam Coffa (pictured below centre with Commonwealth Games Federation vice-president Bruce Robertson on the left and Commonwealth Games Association of Canada President Andrew Pipe on the right) explained that the bid Board did not need to be formally dissolved until the Organising Committee Board was established in its place in May this year.


"I think it is wise to wait until the election is over," he said.

Coffa is also planning to speak with Newman about his plans for the 2018 Commonwealth Games should he defeat Bligh in the election, in what would be a shock result.

"I have spoken to him before, but now that we have won the bid, I think it would be good to touch base," Coffa said.

The new Board, like the Bid Board, will be headed by Mark Stockwell, the chairman of the bid and now the Organising Committee, while Coffa will be included by virtue of the fact that the ACGA President is mandated to be on the Board.

ACGA chief executive Perry Crosswhite is also set to be included, as is Mark Peters, the newly appointed chief executive of the Organising Committee.

Peters was chief executive of the Bid team, but only appointed as permanent chief executive of the Organising Committee earlier this month after controversially being made to apply formally for the position and undergo an intensive interview process.

Stockwell, Peters, Coffa and Crosswhite are all on the bid Board and will, therefore, be able easily to make the transition when the Organising Committee Board is finalised after the state election.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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December 2011: Stockwell formally announced as chairman of Gold Coast 2018