Brisbane rose to higher prominence on the world stage ever since it was awarded the 2032 Summer Olympics in 2021, but our time in the limelight hasn’t been without its obstacles. A series of political disagreements, budget disputes and venue evaluations have led to uncertainty as to where the Games will be hosted.
Luckily, a panel appointed by Queensland State Premier David Crisafulli will be reviewing venue options on March 8, and their findings will be revealed to the public on March 25.
Australian Olympic Committee Chief Executive Matt Carroll warned this month that a final decision on the main venues needed to be made before the end of June, so construction can get underway. Crisafulli’s predecessor as premier, Steven Miles, had rejected proposals such a revamp of Brisbane’s Gabba cricket ground as well as a new stadium in the inner city’s Victoria Park, suggesting instead Lang Park rugby stadium for the ceremonies and QSAC for the athletics themselves. This last idea has some detractors, due to the venue’s capacity of only 40,000 and its ageing state.
During its 100-day review, The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA)’s panel received more than 5,000 submissions. They will thus be determining whether a new stadium should be built and where the competitions should be held, but it is not yet clear if Queensland’s government will accept the panel’s recommendations, whatever they may be.
There are those with financial and environmental concerns regarding a new stadium being built, particularly one at Victoria Park, and a community group named Save Victoria Park has formed, arguing public parkland shouldn’t be sacrificed for development.
An Australian delegation, including the Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, recently spent some time in Paris in order to gather information on how the City of Lights prepared for the 2024 Games, with special attention paid to the extension of line 14 of the Parisian metro, as the government seeks to use the Olympics as a jumping-off point to improve public transport in Brisbane.