- B2032 Olympics chief Andrew Liveris was not happy
- Responding to claims that Queensland’s capital is a “country town”
- The first image of the planned Olympic stadium in Brisbane was widely criticized
Brisbane 2032 Olympics boss Andrew Liveris has hit back at claims the Queensland capital is a backwater “country town” and is confident the city can host a spectacular Games in eight years’ time.
This comes after the first image of Brisbane’s planned Olympic stadium was revealed on Tuesday, which quickly came under widespread criticism for appearing too small and unimpressive.
Speaking in Paris after the presentation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Liveris admitted that not everyone in Brisbane is enthusiastic about hosting the Games.
He revealed that much of the negativity was caused by the government’s decision not to rebuild the Gabba, an iconic sporting venue in Brisbane.
Liveris then urged Queensland politicians to keep their promises and not change plans before the Games.
“Please stop making the Olympics a political issue… this (hosting) is a gift, it’s a great gift,” he said.
“Brisbane is not a rural town… it’s not this weird place up north. It’s very cosmopolitan.”
Mr Liveris praised Premier Steven Miles and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli for “focusing on delivering a Games for regional Queensland” and confirmed the IOC was pleased with the organising committee’s progress.
Brisbane 2032 Olympics director Andrew Liveris has responded to claims that the Queensland capital is a “country town” (pictured, an aerial view of the CBD)
This comes after the first image of the planned Olympic stadium in Brisbane was revealed on Tuesday, which quickly met with widespread criticism (pictured).
Meanwhile, sports fans were left stunned after the opening of the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC).
In a disappointing result, the Olympic stadium will only have a capacity of 40,000 spectators, which will then be reduced to 14,000 once the Games are over.
The first surprises came in March, when the QSAC was chosen as the main venue for the Olympic Games, after which the reconstruction of the Gabba, planned at a cost of 2.7 billion dollars, was formally abandoned.
In choosing QSAC, Premier Steven Miles rejected the main recommendation of the Olympic venues review – which he commissioned – to determine the best site for the main stadium, the Brisbane Times reported.
That review was led by Graham Quirk, who recommended a new stadium be built at Victoria Park, just 2km from the CBD, at an estimated cost of $3.4bn.
Instead, Miles boldly announced that QSAC would host the Olympic stadium.
In response to a federal inquiry into Brisbane’s ability to host the Games, the Queensland government has confirmed that the $2.7 billion that would have been spent on rebuilding the Gabba will now be spent on QSAC, as well as two other sporting venues.
The Brisbane Olympic Games will be held from 23 July to 8 August 2032.