Melbourne, 1956. Sydney, 2000. And Brisbane, 2032.
The International Olympic Committee member nations in Tokyo voted on Wednesday to award the rights to host The Olympics to Brisbane.
While the Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, federal sports minister Richard Colbeck and Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner all flew to Tokyo to make their claim heard, Queensland’s bid was actually the only one in front of the IOC members. And after having been given a truly powerful endorsement by the IOC’s Future Host Commission earlier in the year, Brisbane was pretty much guaranteed their time in the spotlight.
Palaszczuk told the session that Queensland pledged ”to create a successful model under your new host city strategy by showcasing a cost-neutral, climate positive, safe … and enthralling experience for the whole world.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also chimed into the session via video link and said, ”The Australian and Queensland governments are fully funding the infrastructure projects to be delivered in preparation for the Games, ensuring that they deliver for Brisbane 2032, but also leave a lasting legacy.”
Brisbane will also host the Paralympics with Paralympics Australia president Jock O’Callaghan saying, ”We will be guided by a relentless focus on inclusion, diversity and accessibility and we’ll be driven by the Paralympic ideals of determination, equality, inspiration and courage.”
The 2032 Olympics is expected to cost $5b. However, the games are also expected to bring $17bn in economic benefit. We’ll just have to wait and see if that turns out to be true.
Before then, we’ve got to get through the Tokyo Olympics, which hasn’t gotten off to the greatest of starts this week, the Paris Olympics in 2024 and then Los Angeles in 2028.