‘Under threat’: The international reputation Neil Mitchell says Melbourne is in danger of losing

Neil Mitchell says Melbourne is in danger of losing its international reputation as a sporting capital, and the future of major sporting events could be on the line.

AFL games will go ahead without crowds again this weekend, and the Grand Prix, which is scheduled in Melbourne in November, may be under threat.

The 2022 Australian Open could also be threatened.

“In a way this could be a real test for the government and its approach to vaccination,” the 3AW Mornings host said.

“It’s a very difficult balance here and it is a real test of Australia’s attitude for the future — Do we trust the vaccine? Are we going to allow vaccinated people freer access to this country?

“I believe both the tennis and the Grand Prix both need some kind of government agreement soon, and it has to be soon, if they are to go ahead.

“If the Formula 1 authorities do not get a government promise to go ahead in the next couple of months the race could be off. Understandably, they need a long lead time on these things.”

Neil Mitchell says the “worst result” would be if the government gave major sporting events the green light, and circumstances changed at the last minute.

“If that happened I think it could be the end of Formula 1 racing in Australia. They want some certainty, understandably. It would certainly also be massively disruptive for the future of tennis,” he said.

“We do market ourselves as being the sports capital of the world — this year that is under threat.”

Press PLAY below to hear what Neil Mitchell had to say about Melbourne’s sporting reputation