Brisbane crowned ‘preferred city’ to host the 2032 Olympics bringing the games to Australia for a third time – beating out stiff competition from Spain, India and Qatar
- Queensland capital city listed as frontrunner to host the 2032 Olympic Games
- Australian Olympic Committee will begin ‘targeted dialogue’ with an IOC panel
- Officials welcomed news but acknowledged hard work ahead to secure Games
- On track to become third Australian host city after Melbourne and Sydney
Brisbane is one step closer to host the 2032 Olympics after being listed as the ‘preferred city.’
The International Olympic Committee voted unanimously the Queensland capital as the frontrunner to host the Games in 11 years time, ahead of fellow bidders Doha (Qatar), Germany, Hungary, India and Spain.
Australian Olympic Committee and Queensland officials will begin ‘targeted dialogue’ with an IOC panel overseeing the updated bidding process.
‘This decision is not a decision against anybody,’ IOC president Thomas Bach told reporters.
‘This is just a decision in favor of one interested party at this moment in time.’
If successful, Brisbane will become the third Australian city to host the Olympics held in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000, which IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch hailed at the time as’ the best Olympics ever’.
Brisbane has been listed as the frontrunner to host the 2032 Olympics. Pictured are sporting fans at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has welcomed the news announced early Thursday morning.
‘The 2032 Queensland Olympics would support our economic recovery by stimulating investment and creating thousands of jobs for our state,’ she tweeted.
‘We haven’t crossed the finish line yet – we’ve just moved a little further ahead in the race.’
Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll also acknowledged the long journey ahead while welcoming the announcement.
Officials will now begin ‘targeted dialogue’ with an IOC panel about its bid to host the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane (pictured)
‘It’s another step on the process of securing the Games for Queensland and for Australia,’ Carroll told the Today show on Thursday.
But the race is not over yet. You don’t declare victory until you get to the finish line.’
‘You could say it is ours to lose. But most importantly it’s ours to win.’
The news comes after three years after Queensland hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
International Olympic Committee shows IOC president Thomas Bach (pictured right) announced the news from IOC headquarters in Switzerland early Thursday morning