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The Board of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee (Brisbane 2032) has congregated in Townsville for a series of engagements, culminating in a Board meeting. The visit marks the first time Brisbane 2032 has visited a regional co-host town outside south-east Queensland and follows a commitment to promote the Olympic and Paralympic Games (the Games) across Queensland and Australia in the lead up to 2032.
As part of a two-day schedule of events, the Board will tour Queensland Country Bank Stadium, take part in a sports session with Olympians, Paralympians and aspiring young local athletes, meet with First Nations peoples and hold a community business leaders’ event. Townsville Mayor Cr Jenny Hill will also address the Board to promote local regional tourism and economic opportunities.
Townsville is a co-host city of the Games, with Queensland Country Bank Stadium proposed to host football (soccer) matches. The city may also be used for pre-Games events, including athlete training.
The Games will be shared across several cities and regions – a first for the Olympic and Paralympic movement – providing increased tourism, economic and social benefits across Queensland and Australia. Alongside Brisbane as the lead city, other regions to co-host the Games include the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Redland, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Moreton Bay, Scenic Rim, Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne.
The final Board meeting for this year will take place in November in Brisbane.
Quotes from leaders of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Brisbane 2032 President Andrew Liveris AO:
“Townsville is one of the key cities and regions across Queensland and Australia that will not only co-host the Games, but benefit economically and socially in the lead up, during and after the Games.
“Combining a world-class stadium, attracting some of the biggest national and international events and artists, with a welcoming and vibrant community, city and climate, Townsville and the surrounding region has boundless opportunities to attract the best sporting talent, investment and tourism as we progress towards 2032.”
QLD Premier and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk:
“Regional Queensland has provided some of our greatest Olympians and Paralympians. Cathy Freeman, Anna Meares and Townsville’s own Nat Cook are just a few Olympic medallists with Darren Thrupp, Dave Nicholas and Rheed McCracken among the many para-athletes. Add to those names the more than 4,500 young people from Cunnamulla to Cooktown who have tried out in our Youfor2032 talent search, and you can see the excitement building for 2032. I’m so pleased to join the OCOG Board in Townsville to showcase all of the advantages this great city will enjoy from this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Federal Minister for Aged Care and Sport, the Hon. Annika Wells:
“We have an opportunity through the Games to inspire people of all ages and walks of life to participate in sport and that is just as relevant in the regions as it is in the cities. This is a Games for Australia, for Queensland and will change lives across this great nation. Having the world’s largest sport event in Townsville’s own backyard will encourage people to get active, especially our children, and reap all the health, wellbeing and social benefits that come with sport.”
Lord Mayor of Brisbane and Chair of the South East Queensland Council of Mayors, Cr Adrian Schrinner:
“The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games aren’t just four weeks of sport. They’re an opportunity of a lifetime. Brisbane is the fastest growing capital city in Australia and a better-connected region is what our residents want as a core Games legacy. There’s also enormous opportunities for cities like Townsville to directly benefit from the Games, if we work together on a share vision for the future.”
President of the Australian Olympic Committee, Ian Chesterman:
“One of the Australian Olympic Committee’s key ambitions from the Brisbane 2032 Games is to supercharge Olympic sport right across Queensland and the entire nation.
“Townsville has long been a wellspring for sporting excellence – so it’s important we can ensure regional areas can enjoy the benefits these Games will bring.
“Our Olympics Unleashed program has also been embraced in Townsville with Olympians sharing their messages around dealing with adversity, decision making and setting goals with primary school students in the area.”
President of Paralympics Australia, Alison Creagh AM CSC:
“The Paralympics is more than an incredible sporting event, it’s a movement that changes perceptions of people with a disability and drives greater inclusion and fairness to everyone’s benefit.
“By hosting the 2032 Paralympics, Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use the power of sport to create lasting change. We’re working with our Games Delivery Partners to ensure we host the best Paralympic Games in history, and ensure the impact is felt across regional, rural and metropolitan Australia for generations to come.”
Townsville Mayor, Cr Jenny Hill:
“The Queensland Government has made it clear the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games are to be the games for all Queenslanders, and I consider the visit from the Brisbane 2032 Board as an opportunity to understand what this will mean not just for our region, but for the broader northwest of the state,” Cr Hill said.
“Townsville offers a vast range of natural assets and sporting infrastructure that could be enhanced with equitable investment to not only support the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane, but further strengthen our ability to sustain the development of athletes from remote & regional communities.”
“We understand the mammoth task faced in Southeast Queensland to prepare for these Games, and also recognise the importance of regional centres such as Townsville being well equipped to welcome visiting athletes prior to and during the Games, and the strong possibility of hosting key events in our city.”
By: Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Brisbane 2032)
Posted: 21 September 2023
