Games plan wins support
Two-thirds of Queenslanders now back Olympic bid
SUPPORT for an Olympic Games is gaining powerful momentum, with two-thirds of Queenslanders backing a bid.
An exclusive survey for News Corp reveals a strong groundswell of public backing for a proposal by the SEQ Council of Mayors to mount an application to host the global event as the trigger for billions of dollars of badly needed transport infrastructure.
The YouGov Galaxy survey found overall support across the state for a bid for the 2032 Games has leapt to 65 per cent – up from 56 per cent in October. Opposition has fallen from 34 per cent to just 25 per cent, with 10 per cent remaining uncommitted.
The appetite to bring the world’s biggest sporting spectacle to the Sunshine State has jumped among all age groups. Nearly eight in 10 Millennials, more than two-thirds of Generation X and over half of Baby Boomers are backing a bid.
“That’s a significant increase in a relatively short time,” Brisbane Lord Mayor and SEQ Council of Mayors chairman Adrian Schrinner said. “It’s really looking exciting and it’s good to see the community is getting excited as well.”
The surging support comes as the mayors confirm that if a successful bid were made, the event would be officially known as the Brisbane 2032 Games, but events would be staged right across the southeast as well as in Cairns and Townsville.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the council would not commit any ratepayer funds to the bid process.
“We are not committing any ratepayer funds to the bid process for a 2032 Olympics. Of course, we will offer our venues up as locations for various sports should the bid be successful,” Cr Tate said.
“If surfing or beach volleyball was a part of the 2032 program, nowhere in Australia can beat the Gold Coast as a backdrop for those sports.
“I’m confident the Queensland Olympic Committee would look at installing temporary stands for the Olympic surf rounds and finals as we do for the Quickie Pro, or beach volleyball events as we did for GC2018.”
And the International Olympic Committee will be asked to approve changes next month which would allow regions to bid, paving the way for SEQ to be the first to take advantage.
A working group chaired by Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates this week presented a package of recommended reforms to the IOC executive board which also include greater flexibility over the time frame for awarding Games.
Traditionally, winning bids are announced seven years ahead of the event. But the 2024 Paris Games and 2028 Los Angeles Games were awarded together in 2017.