2032 Olympic Games

 At 2:00am (AEST) on 25 February 2021, Brisbane was selected as the sole preferred city for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Following a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), exclusive negotiations for the 2032 Games will now be entered into with the Queensland Government, after the executive board of the IOC approved the Future Host Commission’s (FHC) recommendation unanimously. 

Minister for Tourism Industry Development, Innovation and Minister for Sport, Mr Stirling Hinchcliffe MP, is the Minister responsible for the Games in assisting Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with this bid. 

The Bid 

Brisbane has been assigned ‘preferred bid status’ meaning that it is the only city that has progressed to the next phase of ‘targeted dialogue’ and subsequent ‘final negotiations’. Rival bids are no longer in consideration permitting discussions with the IOC are finalised successfully. 

Earlier this month, the IOC conducted a feasibility assessment on Brisbane’s bid. In this, they asserted that Queensland was the fastest growing state in Australia and that under the Government’s South East Queensland City Deal, hosting the games would align with the strategy to improve infrastructure including major road upgrades, promote economic growth and absorb demographic change. In addition, it would assist with positioning Queensland as a tourism hub in the region and would optimise the Queensland Government strategy to become Australia’s well-being capital. 

The IOC also noted that as of 8 February 2021, all three levels of government confirmed full support and that the re-election of a Palaszczuk government for the third term provided a stable political context. The recommendation outlined that Queensland had the strongest pandemic recovery of any Australian state and that Queensland successfully hosted a number of professional leagues including the AFL during COVID-19. 

Ministerial Arrangements 

The Premier is taking an active and involved role in the leadership for Queensland’s bid for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Taskforce within the Queensland public service is currently housed within the Department of Premier and Cabinet and is briefing the Premier directly on the Bid. 

Minister Stirling Hinchliffe – the Minister for Tourism Industry Development, Innovation and Minister for Sport – has been tasked by the Premier with holding Ministerial responsibility for the Games bid. 

Specifically, Minister Hinchliffe has been charged to support the Premier in hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to create more Queensland jobs, turbo−charge the State’s tourism and events industry and fast−track the State’s economic recovery. This will include continuing to develop and promote world−class knowledge, facilities and athletes as well as enhanced community sport initiatives. 

Minister Hinchliffe was a previous Minister for the Commonwealth Games where he oversaw the construction and preparations for the 2018 Games. He has amassed significant global sporting and major events contacts through that process. Minister Hinchliffe has experience from that process in ensuring that Games Infrastructure has lasting benefits to the State – as exemplified by the construction of indoor sporting venues designed to be repurposed as film sound studios on the Gold Coast. 

Economic benefits 

The Olympics is projected to bring $7.4 billion in economic benefits to Queensland, including: 

• 20 years of economic stimulus 

• 130,000 new jobs 

• $20 billion increase in international visitor expenditure between 2020-2036, with half of this spent in regional Queensland 

• $8.6 billion in trade opportunities 

Infrastructure 

The Premier announced that 90% of the venues required to host the Olympics have already been constructed following the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. 

The FHC venue masterplan included two Olympic Villages, a planned new development in Brisbane and an existing development in the Gold Coast. The Brisbane village is expected to be Queensland’s largest urban renewable project. 

The bid outlined that main clusters will exist in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast due to a number of existing and planned infrastructure venues including: 

• 14 existing competition venues 

• 5 existing competition venues requiring works 

• 5 temporary competition venues 

• 7 new competition venues which could reduce to 2 

New venues under consideration include: 

• The Brisbane Arena – an agreement to build this will be made this year. 

• The Brisbane Olympic Stadium – a business case is under consideration. 

• Redland Whitewater Centre – a business case is under consideration. 

• Larapinta Flatwater Centre – a business case is under consideration. 

• Sunshine Coast Convention Centre – a business case is under consideration. 

Future steps 

In coming months, Brisbane’s 2032 Taskforce will meet with the IOC Executive Director to further discuss plans and budgets. Negotiations are set to be finalised at an IOC session to take place at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. The games are proposed for 23 July 2032 to 8 August 2032. 

Further Information

For more information, please contact your Hawker Britton Director, Elliot Stein on 0431 744 115 or [email protected] or Policy and Business Analyst, Jill Molloy at [email protected].