The Australian Olympic Committee’s chief executive has issued a stark new deadline for taking decisions on venues for the fast-approaching 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Australia’s News.com said Matthew Carroll has warned that key decisions on infrastructure need to be made within months for the Games to be a success.
Carroll said the Queensland and federal governments would need to make their final decisions on venues for the sporting extravaganza by July.
The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032 or the abbreviation Bris2032, is an upcoming international multisport event scheduled to take place from July 23rd-August 8th, 2032 with Brisbane in Queensland (Australia) as the main Host City.
Carroll said at a senate hearing into preparations for the Games, “I think it is time to finalise any more reviews and settle on exactly what the two governments want to fund in terms of venues. I think that’s the first half of this year, for two reasons.
“One, the sports programme will start to be fleshed out the following year, in 2026, and importantly also, to start the construction process or whatever work needs to be done, which will take a bit of time.”
Queensland’s preparations for the 2032 event have been bogged down by slow decision-making on which venues in the city should host which events and whether new stadiums and transport infrastructure need to be built.
Two reviews have now been carried out into the infrastructure that would be required to host the event.
The former Labor government had originally proposed demolishing and rebuilding the Gabba Stadium ahead of the Games.
But amid growing concerns about the A$2.7 billion cost, then-Premier Steven Miles ordered a 60-day review of key sporting venues headed by former lord mayor Graham Quirk.
Quirk’s review recommended replacing the Gabba rebuild plan with a new “greenfield” stadium at Victoria Park, at a cost of up to A$3.4 billion.
However, this was swiftly rejected by the Miles government, which instead announced it would look at upgrading the Gabba, Lang Park and the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre (QSAC) to host the athletics.
Current Premier David Crisafulli, who took power from Mr Miles at the state election in October last year, is working through a 100-day review of infrastructure for the Games.
He has repeatedly slammed the QSAC proposal, which he has called a “thought bubble” and an “embarrassment”.
Several other proposals have also been put forward for infrastructure. In December last year, design and consultancy organisation Arcadis set out the case for a new stadium to serve as the centrepiece of Brisbane 2032.
The Arcadis Victoria Park Precinct masterplan includes a 60,000 seater stadium, an 18,000 seat National Aquatics Centre, as well as the Brisbane Live/Arena project.
The federal and Queensland governments have agreed to a $7.1bn “funding envelope” for the Games.
The federal government will also finance a new $2bn Brisbane Arena at the Roma Street Station precinct.
Carroll stressed decisions on venues were for the government and not the AOC.
He said, “The decision of the venues … is one for government and where they are going to locate them and how they are going to adapt to meet the positive green part of the host city contract.”
News.com further stated that Swimming Australia chief executive Rob Woodhouse also appeared before the committee and reiterated his call for a new national aquatic centre at Victoria Park.
He said consultants had assessed “multiple sites” across Brisbane and selected Victoria Park as the best location.
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