Sport on the Gold Coast has a rich history. As a popular tourist destination leisure sports like Golf, but most particularly sports associated with its famous beaches, have always been popular. A number of surf clubs line Gold Coasts beaches, who host a variety of swimming and athletic events collected into surf carnivals along with competitions evolved from methods of surf life saving. Motor racing has a strong history on the coast with racing having been held in the region since 1954, but consistently since the late 1960s with only a small break in the late 1980s as well as hosting the region's largest event, the Gold Coast 600. The region has had a sporadic history with professional club sport. Several national competitions in Australia's different football codes and basketball have attempted to establish clubs in the city since the 1980s, often bankrolled by wealthy private owners including Christopher Skase and Clive Palmer, and most such clubs have folded within only a few years. In 2015, only the Gold Coast Titans in rugby league and the Gold Coast Suns in Australian rules football are competing in fully professional competitions. No Gold Coast based club has yet won a national premiership in its code. The region was the host of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, building and upgrading various venues all over the Coast. The games were centred on Carrara Stadium. Professional sports The Gold Coast is currently home to professional sports teams in Australian rules football and rugby league. These teams are the Gold Coast Suns (Australian Football League) and the Gold Coast Titans (National Rugby League). Many other professional clubs have competed in national leagues since the 1980s, but these clubs have consistently struggled to support themselves financially, and have generally folded within a decade of being founded. The city has consequently been described a "sporting graveyard". On-field performances have also generally been poor, and as of 2019 no Gold Coast-based team has won a premiership in a national professional club competition. The city also hosts successful professional events in non-club sports, including golf, surfing and motor racing. Current professional clubs Former professional clubs Professional sports curse The Gold Coast is notorious for having teams perform poorly in the major Australian sports leagues and either fold, rebrand or relocate shortly after entry. No Gold Coast team has ever reached the Grand Final of any major sports league in Australia, let