OLYMPIC DREAMS
REVEALED PLANS FOR STADIUM TO HOST 2032 EVENT
TOOWOOMBA’S major sports stadium will be upgraded to 20,000-seat capacity so it can host group stage football matches at the upcoming 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
But local political leaders are dreaming even bigger, saying they will lobby the State Government for a greater slice of the pie.
TOOWOOMBA is set to host football matches as part of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, but local leaders are wanting far more for the city than what the State Government has promised.
Clive Berghofer Stadium will be upgraded to a 20,000seat ground to host the group round football stages as part of the Olympic Games feasibility assessment report.
This was backed up by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s office, with a spokeswoman saying Toowoomba should “expect” to hold some events.
While this was welcomed by Mayor Paul Antonio, he believed the stadium selections were not set in stone and that Toowoomba deserved a bigger slice of events.
“The Olympics are predicated strongly on existing infrastructure,” he said.
“The games model is infrastructure neutral, so any new facility wouldn’t be built specifically for the Olympic Games.
“Toowoomba is probably at that stage of maturity where a (bigger) stadium would attract high-level sporting events.
“It’s quite fluid, so we’re trying very hard now to just lay the foundations of what we have in Toowoomba.”
The council has seconded an officer to help complete a feasibility study, which will return to the councillors before Christmas.
Mr Antonio said he was trying to get Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe to town before the end of the year to discuss Toowoomba’s role for the Olympics and infrastructure it could secure.
The Premier’s spokeswoman said the government planned to upgrade Clive Berghofer Stadium in the coming years, with the funding to come in partnership with the Federal Government.
“Toowoomba is expected to be a beneficiary with the Toowoomba Sports Ground identified to host football preliminaries,” she said.
“Toowoomba Sports Ground, an existing State Government owned venue, will require upgrades including increasing the spectator capacity which will enhance the potential for major events in the future.
“Any infrastructure upgrades are subject to 50/50 funding arrangements with the Federal Government.
“Any permanent infrastructure upgrades are not expected to commence for a number of years.”
Groom MP Garth Hamilton, who has been speaking with the Federal Government’s Olympic envoy Ted O’Brien about the city’s role, said he would only support a federal funding partnership deal for the stadium if it was not the only item.
“That’s got to be the tip of the Olympic iceberg — that’s barely touching the sides of what we deserve,” Mr Hamilton said.