Brisbane Olympic organizers have scrapped plans to demolish and rebuild the iconic cricket pitch as the centerpiece of the 2032 Games, while also rejecting a review committee's recommendation to build a new stadium in the city's parklands.
Queensland Premier Stephen Miles announced on Monday that he wanted to instead renovate the existing rugby stadium near downtown Brisbane to host the opening and closing ceremonies.
Mr Miles called for an independent review of the Olympic plans in January amid growing opposition to the so-called triple the cost of redeveloping the Gabba Stadium.
Former Brisbane Mayor Graham Kirk led a 60-day investigation and handed his findings to the Miles Government on Monday, two days after the state-wide parliamentary election.
The review made 30 recommendations, centering on building a new 55,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park at a cost of A$3.4 billion ($2.23 billion) instead of redeveloping the Gabba. Ta.
Speaking at a press conference at Suncorp Stadium, the long-standing home of national rugby, Mr Miles said of the new stadium: “I know I said we would do what the Quirk review recommended, but we will do what they have decided.'' I can't support that option.” League powerhouse Brisbane Broncos. “I ordered this review because I heard from Queenslanders that A$2.7 billion at the Gabba was too much. So I found that A$3.4 billion at Victoria Park was too much for Queenslanders. So I'm going to exclude that.”
He said the option to renovate Suncorp Stadium, which is within walking distance of several train stations and the city, would make it ideal for hosting the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.
The government also plans to renovate another existing stadium in the south of the city for an athletics track. The stadium, now known as the Queensland Sports and Athletics Center, was the main venue for the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the total cost of renovating these two stadiums would be A$1 billion ($66 million). Organizers will need to finalize a location to build an indoor stadium to host swimming during the Olympics and then convert it into an indoor arena and concert venue.
Mr Quirk previously told the ABC that the cost of building a new stadium on the former council-owned golf course was “likely to be slightly higher” than the A$3 billion ($2 billion) cost of a complete rebuild of the Gabba. “Delivers improved operational efficiency and delivers a venue of true international standard.”
“Even if a complete rebuild of the Gabba were to occur, we would still not be able to reach a top-level Tier 1 stadium due to the fact that space is very limited. That is why we have landed Victoria Park there. '' he told ABC Radio on Monday. “This is about building what is needed and leaving a legacy for the people of Queensland.”
Debate over plans to demolish and rebuild the existing stadium on the outskirts of Woolloongabba, built in 1895 and recently redeveloped in 2005, has intensified since plans were confirmed in November.
Australian Olympic Committee chairman Ian Chesterman said last month he did not like the idea of rebuilding the aging stadium as one of the featured venues for the 2032 Games.
International Olympic Committee vice-chairman John Coates, who was instrumental in securing Australia's third-largest city hosting the Summer Olympics, also proposed an alternative to the Gabba.
Mr Coates told local media last month: “I have advised the review committee that we should abandon the Gabba and look for another location for the athletics stadium.''
Mr Coates said the opening ceremony would be held at the 52,000-seat Suncorp Stadium (formerly known as Lang Park), in line with the IOC's so-called “new normal” concept aimed at avoiding soaring costs for host cities. It was proposed that the event be held at the QSAC facility, which has a seating capacity of 48,000 people. .
Despite Quirk's review finding that transport and logistics issues meant that “QSAC Stadium was not value for money”, the Miles government apparently accepted that advice.
Under the original bid plan, the Queensland Government announced a 2.7 billion Australian dollar ($1.7 billion) Gabba rebuild plan, with cricket and Australian rules football team the Brisbane Lions set to open between 2025 and 2030. The company was forced to relocate.
Critics pointed to soaring costs after the plan's price tag nearly tripled the original estimate for the Olympic bid.
Brisbane won the hosting rights in 2032 in July 2021, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk leading a bid. The long-serving prime minister resigned in December after falling in the polls and was replaced by former deputy prime minister Miles, who agitated for an Olympic review.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
