They were the crucial decisions taken by the eight-member Bid Board, led by triple Olympic medallist Mark Stockwell and which also included Glynis Nunn-Cearns, the 1984 Olympic heptathlon champion, who have met for the first time. 

The Games would also include athletics and swimming, which must be part of every Commonwealth Games, along with diving, synchronised swimming, badminton, boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, squash, rugby sevens, weightlifting, cycling, gymnastics, shooting and table tennis.

Elite athletes with a disability will also compete in athletics, swimming and two other sports yet to be decided.

"I think we have to look at events that are good for Australia but also good for the rest of the Commonwealth because what is important is all the delegates have to be happy with our sports programme," said Stockwell.

"There's 10 core sports that you must have and seven optional sports that you can make the decision on, so we have the decision on some of them.

"I certainly want this to be a very inclusive Games for all athletes and all of those disciplines."

The decision to include basketball, controversially left out of this year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, would allow matches to be played in other areas of Queensland, Stockwell revealed.

"We have endorsed a programme with the basketball where the early rounds will be played in Townsville and Cairns and a third location with the semis and finals to be on the Gold Coast," he said.

"We really want to take more of the Commonwealth Games to a greater area."

The last occasion that Australia hosted the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 the Games were held in March shortly after the end of the Winter Olympics in Turin and when the winners included England's Christine Ohuruogu (pictured), who claimed the gold medal in the 400 metres.
,
But the Gold Coast has decided to hold them in October.

"We looked at when the football is finished because we will be using Carrara as the opening venue; we will be looking at when the international athletics season comes to an end and what's happening with rugby," Stockwell said.

"So we have reviewed all of the sports programmes and integrated that with the school holidays, Australian major sporting events, international sporting events and then actually come up with that date."

Stockwell will be travelling to New Delhi in October for this year's Games along with Anna Bligh, the Premier of Queensland, where the Gold Coast and its only rival, the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota, will have an early opportunity to lay out their plans.

"We will be making the first presentation of the bid so we need to have the preliminary work done by October as well as the work around the vision, the creative design and the big-sell job," Bligh said.

"We really have the best product in the world to sell and we want to do it justice."

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is due to choose the host city for 2018 at a meeting in St Kitts and Nevis in November 2011.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
May 2010: Gold Coast Commonwealth Games bid will learn lessons from Vancouver
April 2010: Triple Olympic medallist to head Gold Coast Commonwealth Games bid
April 2010: Swimming pool boost for Gold Coast Commonwealth Games bid
April 2010: Gold Coast Mayor has doubts over Commonwealth Games rival
April 2010: We are going for gold on the Gold Coast says Queensland Premier