Reports of the demise of the 2032 Brisbane Games have been greatly exaggerated, according to Olympic power brokers.
But concerns about its prospects are not “fake news” judging by the backlash sparked by the Queensland government’s controversial plans.
A turbulent week for Premier Steven Miles and his team began on Monday with a cabinet meeting to consider a 60-day Brisbane 2032 infrastructure review.
The meeting also reportedly considered canceling the Games due to concerns about venue costs and waning public support.
Concerns about the Brisbane Games are not “fake news” judging by the fallout from the Queensland government’s controversial 2032 plans.
The state government was forced to deny a report that it had sought advice to pull the plug, but the allegations did not go away and reached the ears of the International Olympic Committee.
IOC President Thomas Bach seemed taken aback when asked about it.
“This is mere speculation… it was some kind of fake news,” he said after an executive board meeting in Switzerland.
But the uproar caused by the Games host’s plan is very real.
Miles has criticized him for ignoring key findings of the independent review, specifically rejecting the idea of building a $3.4 billion stadium at Victoria Park in central Brisbane as a centerpiece of the event.
But the premier appeared to receive the most regret for ignoring the review’s warnings and choosing the 49-year-old Queensland Sports and Athletics Center (QSAC) as the Olympic athletics venue.
Complaints about his plan “have echoed across the state,” federal Sports Minister Anika Wells said.
“It’s a shame things have come to this point,” he told Nine’s Today Show.
Former world swimming champion Cate Campbell has led the chorus of disapproval.
The QSAC, home of the 1982 Commonwealth Games, now features a high-performance center for athletes preparing for this year’s Paris Olympics and beyond.
Campbell fears his update will displace athletes training there, disrupting their preparation and costing Australia Olympic medals.
“The moment I hear that athletes are worried, I get worried too,” Ms. Wells said.
Then there is the cost.
The review said QSAC would require a $1.6 billion renovation, but added it would be “very difficult to justify” and would not represent good value for money as a legacy project.
Former world swimming champion Cate Campbell (photos) led the chorus of disapproval
Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner said up to $500 million in additional funding could be needed to address transport problems associated with the site, which is a 20-minute drive south of the city.
It will also be 20 kilometers from the Olympic village, which will guarantee “significant” travel time for athletes, the magazine warned.
Conservationists are also up in arms.
The review said “significant bushland” may need to be cleared if the QSAC is renewed.
It has sparked fears this would affect koala habitat in the adjacent Toohey Forest.
Even when finished, QSAC remodeling can cause headaches.
The improved 40,000-seat capacity would mean the smallest Olympic athletics stadium since the 1928 Amsterdam Games and would “potentially leave few opportunities for the general public to attend major finals.”
Adrian Schrinner: More funds may be needed to solve transportation problems related to the sports venue. (Photos by Jono Searle/AAP)
In need of an ally, the government seems to have found it in the IOC.
To date, Olympic chiefs have been unfazed by the smaller-scale, sometimes decades-old, venues chosen.
‘Size does not matter. “What’s really important is to consider the legacy, the choice of the community in question,” Olympics chief executive Christophe Dubi said of Brisbane’s infrastructure plan.
In fact, the government appears to be toeing the IOC line even though its decisions sparked controversy.
Brisbane was chosen for 2032 under the Olympics’ “new normal” approach aimed at avoiding huge cost explosions that have plagued previous editions.
Host cities are now encouraged to cut spending by reducing new infrastructure and using existing or temporary venues.
Under Miles’ plan, the only new venue by 2032 will be the $2.5 billion Brisbane Arena, which will host swimming, funded by the federal government.
“We will deliver the best Games ever, but we will do so at our exciting venues and at the Brisbane Arena,” he says.
However, the prime minister has been accused of playing politics ahead of the October election with his infrastructure plan.
He claims he can’t justify paying $3.4 billion for a new stadium in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
But Schrinner says the premier will consider spending money on that stadium anyway with its improvements.
A renovation of the facility and transportation will raise the price tag for QSAC to more than $2 billion, he says.
Another $1 billion has been set aside for improvements to the Gabba-Suncorp stadium, ignoring the advice of the review which itself cost $450,000 in taxpayers’ money.
An independent authority will be introduced mid-year to deliver the venues under its funding budget.
The state government will no doubt hope that by then the IOC will only be hearing good news, and not “false” ones.
“What’s happening now doesn’t look good for any of us,” Brisbane Games organizing committee president Andrew Liveris said of the hosting controversy.