The verdict is in, Brisbane has officially been named as the host for the 2032 Olympic Games. In an announcement streamed live from Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach revealed that the Queensland capital had been approved as the host city, following long-held suspicions. But while the confirmation means a lot to Australia, it was a bit of a win by default. The IOC went on to reveal that Brisbane was the only bid city still in the running and firmly endorsed by the IOC’s Future Host Commission, making it somewhat of a foregone conclusion.
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Image: Chloe Read
Nevertheless, the Games are returning to Australia once again. The 2032 Olympics will mark the third to be hosted in Australia after Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000, and is estimated to cost a whopping AUD$5 billion. The majority of this is expected to be recouped through ticket revenue, domestic sponsorship and broadcast rights, but that hasn’t stopped critics from questioning if now is the right time to plug Australia.
In fact, contention was raised by the very thought of bidding in the first place. When Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced she, along with federal sports minister Richard Colbeck and Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner, would be travelling from Australia to Japan to make their case in person, previously locked-down Queenslanders were not too kind. More than 100,000 people signed a Change.org petition demanding that the premier be refused entry to the country after enacting strict border closures throughout the year.
Irrespective, Bach also confirmed that Brisbane will host the Paralympics, the second time Australia has done so. The inaugural Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960.
“Our vision and plans are ambitious, as they should be,” Paralympics Australia president Jock O’Callaghan said in a statement. “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.”
Brisbane’s successful bid follows a period of great turmoil for the IOC. The Swiss-based international sporting body has been hit with sustained criticism for its approach to the Tokyo 2020 Games, which began on Wednesday with softball fixtures.
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General FAQs
With Brisbane officially confirmed as the host city for the 2032 Olympic Games, reports have come in surrounding the cost. According to the latest statistics, the Brisbane 2032 Games will cost around AUD$5 billion.
With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics currently underway, the attention is slowly moving to 2024. The next Summer Olympics is set to be held in pairs, France on 26 July 2024.
The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics officially kciked off on 23 July 2021, more than a full year after it was originally slated to begin.
