STATE OLYMPIC BID COVERAGE
POOL great Susie O’Neill is so sure of the lasting legacy for athletes, Australian sport and Southeast Queensland, that winning hosting rights for the 2032 Olympics is a must, not a maybe.
“Madame Butterfly” won 24 gold medals in her storied career at Olympic, Commonwealth, Pan Pacific and world championship level yet one rouses emotions like no other from strangers she still bumps into in the street or at functions.
“Our last home Olympics in Sydney were amazing in 2000 and they must have been because we still talk about them 19 years later,” the still-fit O’Neill said.
“I can’t believe I still bump into people who describe where they were and the feeling they had watching my gold medal swim in Sydney.
“It’s the moment that people mainly recall and it wasn’t me winning in butterfly but in freestyle (200m).
“It’s ‘the feeling’ that people remember rather than the details of the race and I’d love for Brisbane to generate those feel-good feelings by hosting the 2032 Olympics.
“One of my greatest experiences from that home Olympics in Sydney was the camaraderie, being in a group of athletes running from stadium to stadium over a few days to watch the last night of swimming, the women’s water polo gold medal and Cathy Freeman’s incredible race.
“If I was a young Australian athlete aged 10-15 I’d be praying for a Brisbane Olympics to come true.”
O’Neill won medals at three Olympics and is still immersed in the movement with her leadership appointment as Deputy Chef de Mission for next year’s Tokyo team.
“There are a few transport things that can be sorted out but we have what the Olympic movement is looking for in a strong bid,” O’Neill said.
“We are a hosting region in Southeast Queensland with Brisbane as the centre as well as generally being a safe country.
“A home Games is something every athlete wants to experience so it’s a legacy for a city but for the competitors and Australian sport as well.”
She still has her doona from Sydney’s athletes’ village so “legacy” comes in all styles.
Two-time Olympic gold medallist Kieren Perkins said there was a high probability he would have retired before 2000 but for the magnetic lure of competing at a home Olympics in Sydney.
“I’m excited. If Brisbane was awarded the Olympics in the near future, the 10-year buildup would revolutionise Olympics sports in Australia with government and community support because funding has been stagnant in many areas,” Perkins said.
“Southeast Queensland has great advantages with the weather, space for new facilities and scope for infrastructure projects that will be useful for decades into the future.
“Something that is often overlooked is the disproportionate representation that Southeast Queensland has in producing the best athletes in the world from Sally Pearson to Ash Barty to the best swimmers and footballers.
“This is a region with an engaged sporting community to make it a success without huge amounts of money to explain the Olympics to people to fill stadiums as in other countries.”