Brisbane 2032 will look like ‘cheapskate’ Olympics, fears athletics great
Three-time Olympic medalist Raelene Boyle has criticsed the decision to not build a new athletics stadium for the upcoming Games
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Australian athletics great Raelene Boyle fears Brisbane 2032 will look like a “cheapskate” Olympics after the decision to stage the track and field at a 49-year-old stadium in the southern suburbs of the city.
Organisers originally planned to revamp the city’s Gabba cricket stadium to host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics but the Queensland government blanched at the cost and ordered a review of plans last December.
The review, however, on Monday proposed a new purpose-built 55,000-seat Olympic stadium be constructed in an inner city park at a cost of A$3.4bn (£1.75bn).
Queensland Premier Steven Miles rejected that recommendation on the grounds of cost and decided rugby stadium Lang Park would host the ceremonies with the track and field shunted to the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC).
“I think it is a shame for the sport and the city,” Boyle, who won three silver medals in sprints at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, told News Corp.
“I don’t think it will show the city off that well and Brisbane could look like cheapskates are running the Games. The only thing going for it is there is already a track there.
“I don’t think it will be a great place to have track and field because it’s old. It is a small stadium and it will have to be revamped dramatically.
“But I also see the other side in that this is a terrible time to be spending money on the Olympics when people are struggling with their mortgages and there are tent cities happening in some of the parks.”
Miles promised that QSAC would be refurbished at a cost of A$1.6bn to create “the nation’s best athletics facility”.
Even that price tag was too high for Olympic powerbroker John Coates, one of the drivers of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s New Norm process under which Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Games in 2021.
The more targeted procedure aims to save hundreds of millions of dollars for host cities and increase long-term sustainability.
“I don’t see it as a given that it’s necessary to spend A$1.6bn on QSAC,” the IOC vice-president told New Corp from Switzerland.
“I am the IOC member in Australia and it’s my duty to remind them of the basis upon which they bid for the games,” he added. “If we don’t honour those arrangements there’s plenty of other countries that can say, why did you give it to Brisbane when they didn’t have all the venues?”
Some 80 per cent of the venues for the 2032 Games are already in place with the stadium refurbishments and a federal government-funded A$2.5bn arena to host the swimming being the only major construction projects planned.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments