Australia is holding its course. The Queensland government presented its long-awaited plan for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games on Tuesday. The result of a process lasting more than three months that included consultations with citizens, federations, and various experts. Authorities approved the construction of a 60.000-seat stadium in Victoria Park and a new aquatics center. This also significantly revised the previously established plan.
Australian athletics remains hungry
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli promised he would not build a new stadium for the Games when he took office. However, he backtracked following the report released in recent months. "The truth is that it would not have benefited the state", he responded on Tuesday to justify his change of position. As a result, a 63.000-seat stadium will be built in Victoria Park. It is expected to host athletics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The idea of expanding the city's iconic Gabba cricket ground has therefore been abandoned. "All possible options have been studied, justifies Crisafulli. Carrying out major works at the Gabba was simply not possible. Experts indicated that it could not be achieved in the timeframe we inherited. So, it was a choice between spending billions on temporary facilities and stands that left no legacy (at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre), or securing the future of the Australian Football League and cricket in a new stadium. It was a choice between staging a forward-looking Games and going back four decades."
The plan presented, however, does not meet with unanimous approval. Satisfied that the events will take place in a new stadium in 2032, but "deeply disappointed » regarding legacy, the Australian Athletics Federation quickly communicated: « Today's announcement leaves the state without a legacy venue and without a suitable venue for international and domestic events leading up to the Games, impacting preparation, participation, and performance. Our athletes, including our para-athletes, are forced to train and compete in 50-year-old facilities that do not meet modern accessibility standards and building codes, and 2032 is an opportunity to change this." Australian Athletics asks thus « an urgent meeting with the Queensland Premier and Minister for Sport » in order to better understand the government's plan and ensure “a legacy that is inclusive, accessible and sustainable beyond 2032. »The hardest part begins for those in charge: explaining, convincing and obtaining the support of as many people as possible.
Time to “take action”
Tennis Australia, on the other hand, got what it hoped for: the Queensland Tennis Centre (QTC) will be modernized and expanded with a new 3.000-seat arena and 12 additional tennis courts. No relocation to Melbourne, then. A new aquatics center, "the best in the world" said Crisafulli, will be built in Spring Hill to showcase the most prolific sport of Aussies.It will be able to accommodate more than 25.000 people during the Games, more than La Défense Arena at Paris 2024. Eight venues will be built from scratch, including the various athletes' villages. Other competition venues will undergo a more or less significant facelift. Sunshine Coast Stadium will see its capacity increase from just 1.000 permanent seats to more than 10 000. The Gold Coast Hockey Centre, the Brisbane International Shooting Centre, and Barlow Park, which will host football matches, are also among the facilities undergoing upgrades.
Other lessons: beyond Brisbane, the Games will also be held in Petrie (indoor sports), Logan (indoor sports), Redland (canoe-kayak slalom), Cairns (football), Rockhampton (rowing, canoe-kayak sprint) and Toowoomba (horse riding). "The Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee and the International Olympic Committee have been consulted and agree that this is the right plan and it is time to move forward", said OCOG President Andrew Liveris. “Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we will make it count for Queensland by leaving a lasting legacy”, assures David Crisafulli. Transport, infrastructure, tourism and sport will all be part of the lasting legacy of a Games we can all be proud of. We now have a game plan for 2032 and beyond, and it's time to put it into action." The precise sports program will be decided next year.
