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BRISBANE, AUS. \u2014 Ready. Set. Wait.<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be another year or two before construction begins on the main Olympic stadium for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.<\/p>\n
And this is racing mode.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s taken almost four years since the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2032 Summer Games to Brisbane to finalize a cohesive venue plan, and now the countdown is serious for the 7.1 billion Australian dollars (US$4.4 billion) construction program.<\/p>\n
Stephen Conry, chairman of the Brisbane 2032 independent infrastructure co-ordination authority, said \u201cthe likely date or year for shovels in the ground for the (main) stadium would be 2026, \u201927\u201d after the design and approvals phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work to be done when you start spending billions of dollars on infrastructure,\u201d added Conry, who led a 100-day review of venue options and reported back this month to the state government. \u201cWe have over seven years, plenty of time to build a stadium. We\u2019ll have it ready in 2031.\u201d<\/p>\n
The game plan<\/p>\n
Conry joined Andrew Liveris, president of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee, in pitching the Olympic construction and legacy plan to the Infrastructure Association of Queensland, a day after state Premier David Crisafulli unveiled the latest concepts.<\/p>\n
A 60,000-seat stadium built in inner-city parkland, a sailing venue on the Whitsunday islands near the Great Barrier Reef and a crocodile-inhabited rowing venue i n central Queensland are part of the program that Crisafulli launched with a theme that seemed universal among politicians and citizens: just get on with it.<\/p>\n
The original bid idea floated by then-Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to renovate a 130-year-old cricket stadium known as the Gabba to become the 2032 centerpiece was scrapped by her successor Steven Miles a year ago. Miles lost government late last year to Crisafulli, who has broken an election promise of no new stadiums.<\/p>\n
Rather than shrink the scale, his government expanded it to cities and sites up and down the Queensland coast, factoring in tourism potential. Some of them \u2014 the rowing for instance \u2014 may ultimately be rejected by international sports federations. But it\u2019s on the drawing board. The state government also aims to bring in private-sector funding for an indoor arena that will be outside the Olympic scope but could possibly become a venue for events in 2032.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the inclusion of a 25,000-seat aquatic center that will become home to a national academy in the Victoria Park precinct.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a gold medal factory,\u201d Liveris said of Australia\u2019s national swimming program. \u201cFor goodness sake, let\u2019s give our swimmers a chance to make us proud on the world stage as they did in Paris and same with our Paralympians.\u201d<\/p>\n
Critics have said the new main stadium will decrease green space and add to traffic congestion, and have questioned the budget for a stadium at Victoria Park that was initially proposed in 2023 at a cost of A$3.4 billion ($2.15 billion) but has already risen to almost A$3.8 billion ($2.4 billion).<\/p>\n
The Queensland and Australian governments are funding and building the stadiums and the Brisbane Olympic organizing committee is responsible for delivering the Games.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday we got the stage. Finally, we have a plan,\u201d Liveris said. \u201cI have confidence that our team can deliver the event, and we have the time to do it. We have been preparing \u2014 I know there\u2019s a narrative out there (of) three wasted years \u2014 but we\u2019ve been putting all the planning in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Domestic media polls showed the public supported the Games \u201coverwhelmingly,\u201d Liveris said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven the worst critics have come to the the table and said \u2018let\u2019s get on with it,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a palpable sense of opportunity. This is a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n