Commonwealth Games chiefs have thrown open their arms to embrace Australia on the eve of Glasgow 2026, declaring the country will be welcome to host future events even in the face of the Victoria fiasco.
No-one has forgotten in the Scottish city, hailed as saviours of the Games, that it was only down to the plug being pulled on the original Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Melbourne and Gippsland-based event that they now have a patched-up, cut-price feel.
But while organisers insisted bullishly on Thursday how Glasgow would be putting on "a smarter, more sustainable, reimagined Games for the future", they also hadn't forgotten how $200 million of Victorian taxpayers' money is still helping fund the replacement Games 17,000km away.
Asked by AAP whether he could foresee Australia hosting a Games in the near future, Dr Donald Rukare, the Ugandan lawyer who's President of Commonwealth Sport, said: "If they put forward a proposal, and the proposal meets the master(plan), then why not"?
"We're open to going to any place where the proposals come from. We evaluate it and we look forward to Games going right around (the Commonwealth). So, if we got a viable proposal, that's something we'd consider."
And asked if he felt Australia could be trusted after the Victoria farrago, he smiled diplomatically: "We trust all our members".
He said they don't have a crystal ball to predict what the future holds, but would like to ensure there is a credible pipeline of Games hosts.
"Should Australia wish to, we have indicated to all our members that we are hoping to launch the 2034 process in November next year in Malta, and everybody is welcome to put forward their bids," he said.
"There is no doubt that Australia remains one of our more vibrant members of our 74 nations and territories, and we are happy to have seen a very strong contingent of athletes here."
Glasgow Games CEO Phil Batty was put on spot when asked if he had a message to the Victorian taxpayers who'd helped fund the Games in Scotland.
"We've seen here just how proud the Australian athletes are about competing in the Commonwealth Games. You've sent a very strong team to come and defend a number of level titles across the competition," Batty said.
"What I would say is that whilst this Games have been staged in Scotland, and we've done an incredible amount of work here in Glasgow to reformat and reimagine the Games for the future, Australia has played a significant part in making that happen.
"And that is the gift that we're all giving back, not just to Australia or to Scotland, but to the whole Commonwealth.
"The Games will carry on for a number of decades, and Australia will continue to see the benefits of what's happened here and the contribution that's been made from both the people of Australia, but also the people here in Scotland."
