Overview
In 2020, Brisbane made history, becoming the only city outside of Melbourne to ever host an AFL Grand Final. This year, the Queensland capital looks poised to land another huge sporting event — although it won't happen for another 11 years. That'd be the 2032 Olympic Games, with Brisbane named the preferred host for the Games of the XXXV Olympiad back in February. Now, overnight, that quest has progressed. Following a meeting on Thursday, June 10, the International Olympic Committee Executive Board has announced that it is recommending that the Queensland capital gets the official nod.
The IOC Executive Board's proposal now moves to the broader International Olympic Committee itself, which will vote on the matter at its next session on Wednesday, July 21. So, in just over a month, Brisbane will likely be named as the actual host of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games — not just the preferred host.
The move follows a recommendation by the Future Host Commission for the Games of the Olympiad, as happened when Brisbane was named the preferred 2032 host earlier this year. This time, the commission has put together a detailed report, which just earned the Executive Board's unanimous support.
Announcing the news and outlining why the city has won its endorsement, the Executive Board listed eight core strengths identified in Brisbane's bid. They include the fact that Australia is apparently a "sports-loving nation"; the use of either existing or temporary venues to cover 84 percent of the Games; the support of the government, the public and the private sector; a commitment to sustainability; and the social and economic benefits — US$6.1 billion in value to Queensland and US$13.4 billion to Australia, according to commission's impact study.
If Brisbane is officially named next month, the 2032 Games will be the first held in Oceania since 2000 — when Sydney did the honours — and will mark just a 32-year gap between Australia's most recent hosting slots. The Games were first held on our shores back in 1956, in Melbourne.
It'll also mean that southeast Queensland will host the Olympics just 14 years after hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Brisbane has staged the Commonwealth Games, too, back in 1982.
Brisbane's bid includes three clusters of venues — in Brisbane itself, on the Gold Coast and on the Sunshine Coast — and proposes that the Games take place between July 23–August 8, 2032. As revealed in April, the Gabba will also undergo a huge revamp if the city hosts the Games, which'll basically involve tearing the stadium down and rebuilding it again.
After Tokyo holds the postponed 2020 Games in July and August — without overseas spectators — Paris is on hosting duties in 2024. Then, in 2028, Los Angeles will take the torch.
For further details about the International Olympic Committee's announcement, and about Brisbane's bid for the 2032 Olympics, head to the Games' website.
Top image: Tokyo 2020 and TMG.