GAMES GLOW GROWS
Chairman Beattie says impossible to ‘stuff it up’
COMMONWEALTH Games boss Peter Beattie says the Gold Coast is that good, “we can’t stuff it up”.
Mr Beattie predicted the 1.5 billion viewers who tuned into the event in April would fall in love with the place.
“The Commonwealth Games have super-charged the Gold Coast and in a sense there is a glow that is spreading across most of the state as a result,” the Games chair said. “Can we stuff it up? The answer is no.”
THE Gold Coast can’t possibly “stuff up” its Commonwealth Games legacy, the event chairman says, tipping 1.5 billion viewers to fall in love with it.
Gold Coast Commonwealth Games organising committee chairman Peter Beattie said a new and better city would emerge after the Games on the back of “super-charged” development, infrastructure and global exposure.
“Super-charged is a good word because that is exactly what has happened — the Commonwealth Games have super-charged the Gold Coast and in a sense there is a glow that is spreading across most of the state as a result.
“Can we stuff it up? The answer is no,” he said, ahead of Tuesday’s Going for Gold Games legacy symposium in Surfers Paradise.
“The 1.5 billion who see this place are going to fall in love with it. We are going to have people falling in love with the Gold Coast around the world.”
A Griffith University study has calculated the economic impact of the Commonwealth Games at $4 billion while the latest total of proposed or under-construction city-wide development and infrastucture builds was $13.5 billion.
That included landmark projects like Star Entertainment’s $850 million transformation of its Broadbeach site, the $1 billion Surfers Paradise Jewel towers and light rail stage two’s extension to the Helensvale heavy rail network.
“It is going to the change the Coast. You are going to end up with a new Gold Coast when this is over and it’s going to be a better Gold Coast.”
Mr Beattie is on a legacy symposium speakers bill – supported by the Bulletin – that includes Tourism Australia chair Bob East, News Corp global CEO Robert Thomson and social trends expert Bernard Salt.
On traffic concerns, Mr Beattie said the Games transport plan and public transport upgrades would work.
“Of course people are going to have to wait to get into some venues – I mean, that happens when you go to the football.
“It happened at the Sydney Olympics. Will our transport plan work? Absolutely.
“We are planning to deal with every possible contingency and if there becomes a problem we will fix it.
“We are not going to say we are infallible. What we are going to do is make sure we have mindset of fixing it, fixing it, fixing it. If something happens we haven’t antcipated, we will fix it as quickly as we can.”