Golden opportunity to showcase Toowoomba
WHAT an exciting announcement recently that South East Queensland is a step closer to being chosen by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2032 Olympic Games.
The opportunity to showcase Toowoomba through this event on the international stage is enormous.
Fast rail to Brisbane is a long-held dream of Toowoomba residents and will be necessary to efficiently transport people if the games are in South East Queensland.
As a region, we should unite to push as hard as possible to the State and Federal Governments to make this a reality for Toowoomba.
The $58 billion SEQ City Deal could be the funding source, and there’s $15 million already allocated by the Federal Government for a Toowoomba to Brisbane passenger rail business case that is yet to be completed by the Queensland Government.
Now’s the time for that study to commence and the best route to be determined.
One of the goals for Toowoomba is to host one or more Olympic events.
Last year I spoke to five-time Olympian Natalie Cook about what we as a region should do to attract the Olympics to Toowoomba.
Just a note for those who weren’t around at the time, Natalie won gold in beach volleyball at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and is now an ambassador for the 2032 Olympics bid.
Natalie said that as a region we needed to make ourselves the obvious choice for certain sports.
We need to be realistic about what could be hosted here, in terms of our population and facilities, pick one or two sports that suit our environment, such as shooting, mountain biking or equestrian, then establish world-class facilities and host lead-up national and international events.
We would then be more likely to be chosen by the sport industry bodies as the preferred choice to host Olympic events.
There’s much for us to do to ensure Toowoomba receives its share of the tourism, infrastructure and export opportunities that will come from the Olympics.
2032 is only 11 years away and major infrastructure takes time to develop.
Now’s the time for us to determine what role Toowoomba wants to play in the Olympics and become a united force to make it a reality.
Fast rail to Brisbane is a long-held dream of Toowoomba residents and will be necessary to efficiently transport people if the games are in South East Queensland.