COOLANGATTA’S beachfront is set for its own slice of games glory after being named as the host venue for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) Beach Volleyball competition.

The minister for the Commonwealth Games, Stirling Hinchliffe, made the announcement today on the back of the sport securing a spot in the GC2018 program after an agreement was signed in March between the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the Queensland Government and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC).

The competition will be staged in a temporary stadium at the city’s southern-most beach side location, meaning the eyes of the world will be on Coolangatta, when some 1.5 billion people from across the world tune in for the games.

“Beach Volleyball at Coolangatta will take things to a whole new level for Gold Coasters and the thousands of visitors who will experience this iconic sport in a such a beautiful part of the world,” Minister Hinchliffe said.

Minister Hinchliffe said after a city-wide scout, Coolangatta was chosen, in part for its capacity to accommodate required infrastructure to meet international federal guidelines, and final preparations and precise locations for a temporary stadium could now proceed.

Other aspects of the location were taken under consideration, including beach quality and presentation and GOLDOC chief executive officer Mark Peters said there had been great consideration in selecting the Coolangatta location.

“There is a significant space requirement for this event and much more when it comes to technical delivery - right down to the consistency and grade of sand on the court,” Mr Peters said.

“Coolangatta is a great location for Beach Volleyball and with the magnificent beach and city skyline, it is just another opportunity for the destination to be showcased all over the world.”

The location at the southern end of the Gold Coast was seen as ideal for the competition, with the potential of attracting spectators from Northern New South Wales.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate welcomed the opportunity to stage the event at “one of the world’s most spectacular beaches”.

“Hosting Beach Volleyball at Coolangatta will not only show off the beauty of the southern end of the city to the world, it will also provide a great boost for local business there,” mayor Tate said.

This is the first time Beach Volleyball will feature in a Commonwealth Games, with GC2018’s sports program increasing from 17 to 18 sports - the largest program in Games history.