Olympics Games for SEQ 2032

[verbatim9]

We would need all regional intercity trains to Toowoomba, Caloundra Maroochydore and Coolangatta by then. Plus extra metro/LRT lines in the higher density areas of Brisbane. Driver Only Operations by then as well for the rail network running 9 car sets. LRT to Tweed Heads and connections to Nerang and Robina.

[SteelPan]

Says it all

[BrizCommuter]

Well, the NGRs might be in service by 2032!

[#Metro]

You don't need the Olympics to 'stimulate investment'.

People who say that are essentially saying "we don't want to spend the money without a cover story".

Want to stimulate investment? Write a cheque for the infrastructure we need for the permanent population

that lives here. 

[SteelPan]

AGREED

ONLY politicians and "Sports Journalists" have EVER seen the sense in

Option 1
We spend say $20bn dollars on the worlds most overrated sports carnival AND....you get maybe 10-15% of that as NEW transport infrastructure - ie, something practical, that huge numbers of people [those paying the actual bills] will use on a regular basis!

Option 2
We actually do our job, as a govt and spend say [only] $2-4bn on new transport infrastructure

I know, I'm a politician...let's go with Option 1 

[Mr X]

Says it all

To be fair Beijing 2008 was just an excuse for the Chinese government to show off on the world stage, I'm not sure they really care about the cost.

[#Metro]

Some Olympic Games have made a net profit.

Others - they just burned the accounting documents. Sydney 2000 ran a net loss.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_the_Olympic_Games

For a party that lasted only 16 days, the Games carried a big bill. In a 2002 report, the New South Wales auditor general put the Games' cost at 6.484 billion Australian dollars, or about $4.77 billion, of which 2.037 billion Australian dollars came from the government. The report cautiously accepts estimates by the government of New South Wales that the Games generated 653 million Australian dollars in additional tax revenues from visitors, but even that figure leaves a loss of 1.326 billion Australian dollars.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/24/news/what-did-olympics-bring-sydney.html

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Gold Coast Commonwealth Games impress IOC officials ahead of Olympics bid

HOPES of a 2032 Queensland Olympics have been boosted after IOC officials were impressed by the outstanding success of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The Courier-Mail has learned informal meetings were held on the Gold Coast during the Games to discuss the Olympics bid, as momentum builds towards a tilt to bring the world's greatest sporting showpiece to the state's southeast.

GOLDOC chairman Peter Beattie said visiting IOC officials witnessed the success of the Commonwealth Games first-hand, but warned a bipartisan federal agreement to underwrite the event must be secured if the bid was to fly.

The cost of the bid would be at least the $US12 billion Tokyo 2020 Olympics organisers now say it will cost to host their Games.

"I know the IOC has an interest in the Commonwealth Games and has an interest in southeast Queensland considering a bid for the Olympics,'' Mr Beattie said.

"They will have seen our capacity to run a Games in the southeast corner. There's a recognition globally that we really do these events well.''

"They (Queenslanders at the Games) are enthusiastic, but money is what drives enthusiasm to reality.''

"The two weaknesses (in an SEQ bid) are that you need a big stadium and the $12 billion (US dollars) _ other than that we could do it tomorrow.

"No State Government can do the heavy lifting of investing in an Olympics, as the State Government has done with the Commonwealth Games.

The visiting IOC delegates included team officials from several Commonwealth nations.

A feasibility study commissioned by the SEQ Council of Mayors is to be delivered in mid-year and help the mayors decide later this year whether to make a bid to the IOC.

The Australian Olympic Committee, which must submit any Australian bid, urged southeast Queensland to bid for the Olympic Games last year when AOC president John Coates made championing a bid from the region part of his platform for re-election.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has been intent on delivering the Commonwealth Games before commenting again on an SEQ Olympics bid, steadfastly refused to answer questions on the bid, but has previously emphasised Federal funding would be essential.

Mr Beattie said his confidence in how an SEQ Olympics could be delivered has been revived by the successes in staging the Gold Coast Games.

"That is because of how well our transport went, with 2 million passenger trips (on public transport), our ticket sales of 1.194 million as of yesterday, and the organisation skills that will now reside on the Gold Coast from these Games,'' he said.

An IOC vote for the 2032 Olympics host would not be taken for several years, most likely 2025.

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/984828441617825792

[Gazman]

"The two weaknesses (in an SEQ bid) are that you need a big stadium and the $12 billion (US dollars) _ other than that we could do it tomorrow."

There is no way the SE corner could host an Olympics without SERIOUS investment in transport infrastructure. Stripping the public transport to its bare bones for the rest of the network to funnel it into the Brisbane-GC corridor might work ok for the Comm games, not for the olympics. As I understand the SE Qld bid would have events spread around the whole region, in my opinion you would need a high speed train network in each direction as a start.

Peter Beattie is a bit deluded if he thinks you just build a main stadium and everyone turns up.

[#Metro]

12 billion USD? No thanks, would rather have SC line upgraded and Trouts Rd done as rail instead.

[Gazman]

12 billion USD? No thanks, would rather have SC line upgraded and Trouts Rd done as rail instead.

Agreed, the cost now seems disproportional to any benefits that it would bring... but my point is that the city/ region is not going to cope unless projects like that happen anyway.

[BrizCommuter]

The IOC obviously didn't travel on any shuttle buses!

[OzGamer]

$12 Billion is a guess based on Tokyo. If it were to cost anything like that it would include infrastructure investments. If the games were planned intelligently, the infrastructure investment could be things that we would use in the long term.

For example, we might need to extend the Eastern Busway/Metro to Chandler for the shooting and the cycling, but that is a long term plan that would help the city enormously anyway.

We might need to expand the capacity of the northern rail system using Trouts Road, but again, that would be just bringing forward something that would be of continuing benefit to the city.

We would need to build an athletes' village, but done right it could be excellent urban renewal and longer term affordable housing, which the region desperately needs.

I don't know whether we want to host the Olympics or not, but don't assume that money that goes towards it is dead money. It may be partly getting international broadcast rights to pay for stuff we really need here.

[achiruel]

The problem is, the extra money spent on stuff that really isn't necessary long term may well outstrip extra revenue brought in by tourism, etc. so the state ends up worse off after all.

We should build decent transport anyway, not because we have some sporting carnival just around the corner.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Opinion: Why Queensland shouldn't bid for Olympics 2032

MORE than 400 years ago the Spanish author Cervantes asked, "Can we ever have too much of a good thing?"

If the behaviour of Cervantes' self-indulgent and quirky Don Quixote is correct, then yes: we can easily suffer from any kind of excess – including things we think are wholesome.

While too much chocolate or alcohol is a no-brainer, even too much exercise can be dangerous.

Cervantes' Quixote was so crazily obsessed with impressing others with his strength, courage and chivalry – in short, too much heroism – that he neglected the things that really mattered. That lesson roared home to me on the weekend when I read that Commonwealth Games organisers, so buoyed by the Games' alleged success, now want the Gold Coast to bid for the 2032 Olympic Games.

Cue doleful groan and eye-roll.

It's 1982 all over again. In the warm afterglow of Brisbane's Commonwealth Games, then Labor lord mayor Roy Harvey – intoxicated by the miasma of self-congratulation – declared Brisbane would bid for the 1992 Olympic Games.

Four deluded years and $21 million ($60 million today) later, Brisbane lost convincingly to Barcelona.

How many buses would that self-indulgence have bought? How much interest on a burgeoning debt bill would it have paid down?

But Brisbane's loss was a blessing in disguise. Had we won in 1986, our city and state would be even more indebted for dilapidated white elephants of the stadium kind – these rusted monuments to Australia's sporting obsession.

And for what? Nothing more than to show off to the world – like pampered children anxious to impress – that Brisbane (and now the Gold Coast) is a "world-class city". But what does that even mean? That the pubs can stay open all night?

Critics will retort that a Gold Coast strutting the world's Olympic stage will bring unprecedented tourism opportunities.

Will it? For 50 years the world has known about Australia's Gold Coast.

A single event with a multibillion-dollar price tag will hardly change that. The Olympics certainly didn't helped Rio de Janeiro, another long-established tourism mecca and host of the 2016 Games. While 400,000 foreigners visited Rio during the competition, Brazilian tourism today is stagnant.

That leads us to the problem of how to calculate the profit or loss of any given Olympic Games. Among less-than-democratic nations especially, host cities are too often crafty with balance sheets.

But there have been enough Olympic Games elsewhere to reveal a clear pattern: Massive inter-generational debts are too often the legacy of national Olympic hubris.

And it's not the politicians or Games organisers who pick up the tax bill: it's poor schlobs like you and me.

Some of the more egregious examples include the Montreal Games in Canada that cost – in 1976 dollars – $1.4 billion. Montreal's total debt of $990 million wasn't paid off till 2006, and only then through extra taxes. Then there's the Sydney Games that cost $6.6 billion (more than $10 billion today). Despite Aussie taxpayers splashing out $2 billion ($3.1 billion today), the Games still lost $2.1 billion ($3.7 billion today).

But the gold medal for wanton waste by a country least able to afford it goes to Greece whose 2004 Athens Games cost US$15 billion. Even with taxpayers fronting up US$6.2 billion, the Athens party left Greece with a
financial hangover that set the country up for collapse.

Sadly, very little of Athens' Olympic infrastructure is used today.

The story was repeated in Rio after 2016 where the Olympic Village is now a "ghost town" and where Maracana Stadium has had its power disconnected "because there is nobody to pay the energy bill".

Let's be conservative. Let's assume the Gold Coast hosts the 2032 Olympic Games and loses only $2 billion in today's terms. For that money we could build about 20 100-bed hospitals in regional Queensland, or about 130 primary schools, or about 70 high schools, or pay the salaries of 3000 new teachers, police and nurses for 10 years. That sounds like a far better investment.

Our state simply cannot afford the indulgent fantasies of the short-sighted who have Olympic stars in their infantile eyes.

Only former premier and GOLDOC chairman Peter Beattie showed proper restraint when he argued the Gold Coast would be better served by bidding for the much more modest World Athletics Titles.

That's ambitious enough. Anything more is simply tilting at Olympic-sized windmills.

Dr Paul Williams is a senior lecturer at Griffith University's School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/SmartState1/status/989974277087625216

The Weekend Australian --> Star's John O'Neill keen on Olympics after Games success

Star Entertainment Group chairman John O'Neill has urged the Australian Olympic Committee to give serious consideration to a Brisbane-area bid for the 2032 Olympics.

"It would be a great initiative for Queensland and Australia," Mr O'Neill said.

"It would encourage Southeast Queensland to crystallise its competitive position as an emerging new world city.

"It would galvanise business, community and government in support of an agreed regional strategy and accelerate essential infrastructure development, particularly transport."

The Star group, which has major casino/hotel developments on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, was a sponsor of the recent Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

Mr O'Neill's comments come as the Australian Olympic Committee holds its annual meeting in Sydney today.

AOC president John Coates has indicated that he would be prepared to examine the possibility of an Olympic bid for Brisbane.

Mr Coates led a bid by Brisbane for the 1992 Olympics launched in the wake of Brisbane's successful hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 1982.

The 1992 Olympics were held in Barcelona. Melbourne unsuccessfully bid for the right to host the 1996 Games, which were held in Atlanta, and Sydney won the right to host the 2000 Games.

The International Olympic Committee has already chosen the host cities for the next three summer Olympics — Tokyo in 2020, Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.

A bid for the next available summer games — in 2032 — will be decided by the IOC in 2025.

But changes to the bidding process, introduced to save costs and discourage bids that don't have a real chance, mean that bidding cities will need to start pitching to make the shortlist well ahead of that date.

In the past, Olympic bids have been awarded to a specific host city but the IOC has indicated that it is prepared to look at bids that may expand into a region.

The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has already unveiled a 13-city plan to host the 2032 Olympics, which would include cities such as Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, Essen and Dortmund.

While the Olympics have never been held in so many cities before, the IOC is aware of the need to use as many existing venues as possible to hold down costs.

This could open the way for a bid from Brisbane and the wider southeast Queensland region.

Mr O'Neill said a bid for the 2032 Games would be a "unique catalyst for planning and infrastructure" in the region.

He said any Olympic bid needed to be based on a sound regional plan.

"Once that is in place, it will be relatively easy to see whether the specific requirements of bidding for and hosting an Olympic Games would complement that plan," he said. "That's the key."

Mr O'Neill's comments come after The Star casino on the Gold Coast enjoyed strong occupancy during the Commonwealth Games and was a centre for many social events in the area.

"The final Saturday of the Games was a record-breaking day for our restaurants and bars," Mr O'Neill said.

He said The Star's sponsorship of the Games gave it an opportunity to showcase its renovated property to large media audiences and important guests.

"While there will be technical valuations of the media value provided to The Star, it is impossible to measure the enormous value of this showcasing opportunity and the goodwill it has created for important stakeholders, current and future clients and among our team members across the group."

Mr O'Neill is a former chief executive of the State Bank of NSW, the Australian Rugby Union and Football Federation Australia.

He said the return on investment from the cost of an Olympic bid would be "very significant".

"While hosting costs of an Olympics are three to four times that of hosting a Commonwealth Games, the revenues generated by Olympic hosts are also exponentially larger," he said.

[ozbob]

Sunday Mail 29th April 2018 page 9

Olympics bid expected to hinge on transport

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/990326504306360320

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1002215276870422528

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> 'New norm' Olympic bid gives southeast Queensland chance of cheap and cheerful Games

THE cost of a southeast Queensland Olympic Games would be closer to zero than the multibillion-dollars of previous Games, a consultant working on a 2032 bid says.

Craig McLatchey, who is working on a feasibility study for the South East Queensland Council of Mayors, said the net cost of a Queensland Olympics would be a fraction of the more than $26 billion currently being quoted for Tokyo 2020.

"No one wants to spend $17 billion or, as was quoted recently, $26 billion on an Olympic Games," the sports consultant based in the Olympic capital Lausanne, Switzerland, said.

"What the IOC is saying is we don't want you to build anything that you wouldn't build anyway and we certainly don't want you to build something that you have already got nearby.

"The operating cost of the Games now would be closer to zero then it would be to $26 billion."

That would also hinge on the state and federal governments keeping pace with planned bus, rail and road infrastructure spending in the southeast.

SEQ Council of Mayors chairman and Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, has previously said a cost-price games could be achieved using existing and temporary venues around Queensland to keep costs to a minimum while ensuring maximum benefit is returned to the region.

The SEQ mayors are awaiting the feasibility study before deciding whether to continue with a potential 2032 bid.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk appears to be firming in her support for a formal bid for a "cut price" Games.

She visited Olympic venues in Tokyo and met with Japan's Olympics minister last month.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones has also met with Olympics bosses who confirmed that they wanted to change the model going forward.

A Queensland bid has already received in-principle support from the Australian Olympic Committee.

Mr McLatchey said the "new norm" being encouraged by the IOC was to ensure the future of the Olympic Games and meant bidders could be more creative in the way they hosted the Games.

He said events could be held interstate as well as across the southeast and in north Queensland.

Mr McLatchey would not put a firm figure on the potential operating cost or the cost of the infrastructure needed.

The feasibility study will be delivered to the Southeast Queensland Council of Mayors later this year.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland said he would only support a 2032 bid if it was viable, affordable and all three levels of government were involved.

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1005838732375625730

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Editorial: Gold Coast Commonwealth Games proved Queensland is up for Olympics

AUTHORITIES spoke a lot about legacy before and after the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. From gifting sporting equipment to schools to transforming the Games village into a health and innovation precinct, they've done an admirable job ensuring that the incredible Games spectacle had a lasting and positive impact for Queensland's second biggest city and beyond.

However, there could be no better legacy than using the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as a springboard for an Olympic bid. As a state, we already have some of the key infrastructure in place that would be required. Just as important, however, is the fact that we've also accumulated significant expertise when it comes to staging these major international sporting events.

Yet, holding an Olympics is an incredibly expensive exercise. Japan is reportedly spending $26 billion on its Tokyo 2020 Games. For a nation renowned for efficiency and excellence, that is a mind-boggling investment.

While organisers have been at pains to point out everything is now on track, the event has had several setbacks. The logo was scrapped amid accusations of plagiarism. Plans to renovate an existing stadium were also ditched. And then plans for the new facility had to be radically reined in, including shrinking the precinct and ditching a proposed retractable roof, after estimates revealed it shaped as the most expensive stadium in the world.

All that comes after Japan sold itself as a "safe pair of hands" when it won the bid. Even in partnership with the Federal Government, Queensland could not afford such an extravagance. The State Government is currently trapped in a cycle of having to routinely borrow money just to fund its essential infrastructure responsibilities and there are no plans to pay it back. Sourcing additional funds for a multibillion-dollar investment in Olympic sports infrastructure in concert with maintaining spending in other areas would force Queensland to dive even deeper into debt, imperilling the state's already second-class credit rating.

However, the International Olympic Committee seems to have recognised that its expectations for gold-standard Games played in completely new facilities meant there was a shrinking pool of countries that could afford to play host. Craig McLatchey, a sports consultant who is currently working with the Southeast Council of Mayors on a bid, certainly believes a cut-priced entry could be a success. McLatchey has told The Courier-Mail that a 2032 bid could pitch a nationwide event, taking advantage of existing facilities in other states. That would help to significantly spread costs.

Under such conditions, Queensland should look closely at an Olympics bid. The 14 years between now and when it would be held ensures there's ample time to spread out the costs, if they can be constrained to an affordable amount. A 2032 Olympics would also mean there's been 32 years since the Games was in Australia, a sizeable gap. Victoria and New South Wales have had their turns at hosting an Olympics. Given the success of the Commonwealth Games, Queensland should exhaust all options to make a play for the biggest sporting event in the world.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Queensland can't afford big Olympics bid

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland cannot afford a "full-scale" Olympics bid.

But she might consider bidding for a "cut price" 2032 Games should it be viable.

Her comments come after a consultant working on an Olympics bid feasibility study for the South-East Queensland Council of Mayors, Craig McLatchey, told The Courier-Mail that changes to the IOC's requirements meant a 2032 Olympics could be delivered in Queensland for a fraction of the multibillion-dollar price tag of Games gone by.

That report is due to be handed to the council of mayors this year.

Ms Palaszczuk said she wanted to see the report before any decisions were made.

"That is something that we will consider when the (SEQ) Council of Mayors hand their report down," she said. "But let's be very clear, we will not be able to afford a full-scale Olympic bid. It must be on a smaller scale."

She said the Federal Government would also have to make a large investment.

Her comments were echoed by Treasurer Jackie Trad.

"There are a lot of statements being made in relation to the Olympics, in relation to a cut-price status," she said.

"I'm yet to see any reports."

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Southeast Queensland backs Olympic bid in hope of fast-tracking infrastructure

SOUTHEAST Queenslanders are backing an Olympic Games bid as a means of accelerating badly-needed new transport, sports facilities and other projects.

An exclusive poll commissioned for The Courier-Mail's Future SEQ series found most residents – 56 per cent – support an application to host the world's biggest sporting event in 2032 if it helped fast-tracked infrastructure.

Only one in three people oppose the idea.

It comes as International Olympic Committee vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch encouraged the region to launch a bid, saying it would be an "honour and a pleasure'' to bring the Games back to Australia.

The poll of 1660 people by YouGov Galaxy found that support for an Olympic bid rose to two-thirds among Millennials.

"They are clearly excited about this as an opportunity to solve some of the transport and other issues that require investment," said managing director of the polling company David Briggs.

The SEQ Council of Mayors has commissioned a feasibility study into using a bid to drive government and private sector funding for a rapid rail network and other critical infrastructure.

"While we're still in the feasibility process, it's reassuring to see that the majority of southeast Queensland can already see the potential of a cost-effective Games," Council of Mayors chairman and Brisbane Lord mayor Graham Quirk said.

"Our current methods of attracting funding and delivering transport solutions are clearly not keeping pace with the growth of our region.

"We need to explore new ways of focusing the attention of the Federal and State governments to deliver outcomes for southeast Queensland, and an Olympic Games may be one of those options.

"Strong support from southeast Queensland's younger generation is great to see but not surprising. An Olympic Games could transform the region and create future opportunities, much like Expo 88 did for the current generation."

Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio said: "The community, like me, can see the benefits in pursuing the bold ambition of a regional Olympics."

"The Olympics will just go for a couple of weeks, however it is the legacy projects that will be the real benefit for our region."

An interim report by international consultants Event Knowledge Services, which helped win the Olympics and Paralympics for Rio de Janeiro says the event has had "a profound impact on the cities and regions which have hosted them".

It said Olympics events such as Barcelona in 1992, Sydney in 2000 and London in 2012 "enabled the renewal of major derelict sites and the delivery of transport infrastructure projects that have changed the way people live, work and play".

In order to avoid white elephant building, it was critical to focus on the legacy outcomes of an event and ensure a strong fit with the community's long-term strategic plans.

An audit of venues identified that southeast Queensland currently "faces a number of challenges" including the need to replace ageing infrastructure from previous events, invest in major entertainment and sports venues to secure the region's status as a key events destination and provide more community sports facilities to match rapid growth.

"This is where an Olympic and Paralympic Games can provide a catalyst to address these issues and deliver positive outcomes," it said.

The EKS reports says the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games was a great example of using a major event to deliver ongoing community facilities.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said 48 per cent support among his local community was "a strong result at this early stage and given there is a considerable amount of work that is yet to be done before a decision is made".

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/brisbanetimes/status/1056032741672644608

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> $60b infrastructure, transport plan to play key role in Olympics bid

THE multibillion-dollar plan to boost the connectivity of southeast Queensland is set to play a key role in the ­region's bid for the 2032 Olympic Games.

The SEQ People Mass Movement study will also be used by the region's mayors to lure crucial state and ­federal government funding through a potentially new City Deal.

'The funding would be crucial to getting the regional strategy off the ground and get key projects under way.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said all levels of government needed to make a significant shift in their thinking to ensure southeast Queensland did not end up with the traffic gridlock of Sydney and Melbourne.

"Fortunately, our region still has time to address these issues, but we need to act now," he said.

"The decision for the federal and state governments isn't whether they can afford to deliver these projects, it's whether they can afford not to."

It is understood the study will provide a strong foundation for the South East Queensland Council of Mayors' investigation into a possible tilt for the 2032 Olympic Games.

An exclusive poll commissioned for The Courier-Mail during the Future SEQ series found most residents – 56 per cent – supported an application to host the Games if it helped fast-track infrastructure.

Since 2017, both the State Government and local southeast councils have been working to develop a City Deal for the region with the Federal Government.

[verbatim9]

I am in two minds about the Olympics in Brisbane?

[SteelPan]

Let's say, for the sake of making an easy point:

Desired Transport Infrastructure investment over the next 30yrs of $50bn

Olympics Sports Carnival to drive the above investment, budgeted to cost say $10bn [let's all be honest, it'll be higher...never lower]

Total projected outlay $60bn

OR....radical idea...JUST build the Infrastructure for $50bn!!!! 

Also, asking the AOC and big tourism bizz what they think of an Olympics for Brisbane, is like asking retailers if they support additional trading hours!  Who'd have thought they'd say...YES, Great idea! 

[#Metro]

Pretty sure the Olympics is a loss making or neutral investment overall.

There are people who say "but it brings tourism money" but so would giving foreign visitors free plane tickets paid by the gov't.

You don't need an Olympics to build infrastructure.

Look at Perth. They doubled the rail network, fixed the buses. Best in class PT.

They didn't do it because of the Olympics, they did it because they're not dumb.

[James]

I think the Olympics are a nice aspirational target, but the biggest problem I can see is that we don't have a decent site for a games village, just a series of venues scattered across the city, many of which are run down (QE2 has seen better days). The major demand for travel will come from the CBD and surrounding suburbs to the Games village, and unlike a Commonwealth Games, buses won't cut it.

It would provide the political mandate for a thorough PT overhaul and a solid $10bn in transport infrastructure investment - but where are we going to put the Games village? The only plausible site I can see is Northshore Hamilton, and that would require removing the Golf Course there. Chandler would need a service too. Our biggest problem is a lot of suitable sites are on flood plains - not great unless you intend on turning every event into an aquatic one!

[#Metro]

It would provide the political mandate for a thorough PT overhaul and a solid $10bn in transport infrastructure investment - but where are we going to put the Games village?

Woolloongabba CRR site?

[techblitz]

games village would be a perfect opportunity to rezone coopers plains,rocklea, archerfield......hit two birds with one stone....gets rid of all the shabby looking factories and the trucks along with it.....freeing up crosstown congestion on the ippy motorway,beaudesert rd and even logan/orange grove/boundary rds...added bonus is the area is nice and close to QE2 stadium.....

[James]

It would provide the political mandate for a thorough PT overhaul and a solid $10bn in transport infrastructure investment - but where are we going to put the Games village?

Woolloongabba CRR site?

The site of Sydney's Olympic Park is 2.25km2, Melbourne's sporting precinct is around 1km2, the site of CRR + The Gabba is 0.14km2. Grossly inadequate, basically. It's not enough just to stick up a bunch of apartments, to have a decent 'games atmosphere' you want as many of the events to be near the games village itself. Hence, you're looking at a site of around 1km2.

Chandler is well situated for this, however the lack of any reasonable PT within cooee is an issue. Not even Brisbane Metro will cut it - you need rail. Hamilton Northshore, on reflection, would be a very good site as you could simply extend the Doomben line.

[#Metro]

The site of Sydney's Olympic Park is 2.25km2, Melbourne's sporting precinct is around 1km2, the site of CRR + The Gabba is 0.14km2. Grossly inadequate, basically. It's not enough just to stick up a bunch of apartments, to have a decent 'games atmosphere' you want as many of the events to be near the games village itself. Hence, you're looking at a site of around 1km2.

Chandler is well situated for this, however the lack of any reasonable PT within cooee is an issue. Not even Brisbane Metro will cut it - you need rail. Hamilton Northshore, on reflection, would be a very good site as you could simply extend the Doomben line.

Maybe rent a cruise ship and dock that at Hamilton. No land or building required and excellent security. Waste not, want not! 

[timh]

It would provide the political mandate for a thorough PT overhaul and a solid $10bn in transport infrastructure investment - but where are we going to put the Games village?

Woolloongabba CRR site?

The site of Sydney's Olympic Park is 2.25km2, Melbourne's sporting precinct is around 1km2, the site of CRR + The Gabba is 0.14km2. Grossly inadequate, basically. It's not enough just to stick up a bunch of apartments, to have a decent 'games atmosphere' you want as many of the events to be near the games village itself. Hence, you're looking at a site of around 1km2.

Chandler is well situated for this, however the lack of any reasonable PT within cooee is an issue. Not even Brisbane Metro will cut it - you need rail. Hamilton Northshore, on reflection, would be a very good site as you could simply extend the Doomben line.

Realistically I think if they extended the Metro out to Chandler, it would be the most realistic place to build the Games village. In my uneducated opinion personally I think the Metro would be able to support the capacity.

I had heard a bunch of rumblings though that the plan for the main Olympic stadium was to build it on Victoria Park, because for some reason apparently that's state owned land?? They could possibly build the village there.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Olympic stadium considered for Mayne rail yards as part of multi-billion dollar Bowen Hills urban renewal

THE main stadium for an Olympic Games could be built over the top of the Mayne rail yards at Bowen Hills.

Sources told The Courier-Mail that the site could be capped to construct the centrepiece of an Olympic precinct as part of a multibillion-dollar urban renewal of the inner-city suburb.

It is understood that Albion Park Paceway is also under consideration as a key venue and the adjacent Allan Border Field could be used for warm-up facilities.

The feasibility report, prepared by specialist sports consultants Event Knowledge Services, does not identify a preferred site for the venue to stage the opening and closing ceremonies and main track and field competitions.

But the consensus is that it would have to be in central Brisbane with access to excellent public transport facilities.

There are few sites that meet the criteria.

Victoria Park, which is home to a golf course, had been considered the frontrunner, but The Courier-Mail was told it had been ruled out as an option. Brisbane City Council and the State Government are reluctant to sacrifice further inner-city green space.

Redeveloping the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, formerly QEII Stadium, at Nathan, which hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games, was dismissed as being too far out, without rail links and on a site too constrained to be expanded.

Bowen Hills, just 3km from the city, has all north-south City Network rail routes running through it. The station is next to the rail stabling yards and Exhibition Station, at the RNA Showgrounds, which will be upgraded as part of the Cross River Rail project, is within walking distance.

The suburb has been designated as a priority development area by the Queensland Government, which identified the rail yards as state-owned land that could be sold to the private sector for transit-oriented development.

James Tuma, national director of urban design company Urbis, said while there were design and engineering challenges, the site had "enormous potential".

"A major event impetus, whether it's an Olympic Games or something else, is the catalyst you could use to do that," Mr Tuma said.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Olympics 2032 Brisbane: Games would be great for growth

SOUTHEAST Queensland has a "compelling'' case to mount a bid for the 2032 Olympic Games, a detailed 18-month study has concluded.

A feasibility report commissioned by the SEQ Council of Mayors found the Olympics and Paralympics could be staged across the region at a lower cost to the public than last year's Commonwealth Games by using existing and already-planned venues.

"I think it's an outstanding opportunity for the region," Brisbane Lord Mayor and SEQ Council of Mayors chairman Graham Quirk said.

"The study shows that the Games are certainly doable. If we work on a spread of facilities around the region, these Games would deliver a terrific legacy."

But the report, to be released today, stresses that the success of an Olympics would rest on billions of dollars of public transport and road infrastructure being delivered in advance, and that without it, a bid should be abandoned.

The Mayors will now lobby the state and federal governments and Australian Olympic Committee to get behind the push to bring the world's biggest sporting event here.

Cr Quirk said they would ask the Queensland Government to fund a full assessment of the economic benefits the event could generate.

The boost from the 2000 Sydney Olympics has been put at $20 billion.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was looking forward to reading the proposal.

"As I have said, it needs support of all levels of government. The federal government would need to supply their funding upfront. Venues would have to be smaller and it can't just be a SEQ games – it has to be a Queensland games."

The study, prepared by specialist international sports consultants Lagardere/Event Knowledge Services, indicates the Games would cost $5.3 billion to stage.

After $4.4 billion of revenue from global broadcast rights, worldwide and domestic sponsorships, merchandise and the sale of six million tickets, the net loss is estimated at $900 million – $400 million for the Olympics and $500 million for the Paralympics.

"When compared to the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, which had a net operating cost of $1.2 billion, a cost-effective SEQ Olympic Games presented a compelling proposal for the region given the widespread benefits, international exposure and lasting legacies it could deliver," the study reads.

The study was based on new International Olympic Committee guidelines designed to minimise the financial burden on host cities by not building major new facilities just for the event, leaving expensive white elephants afterwards.

It says 25 of the 40 sports venues required already exist and could be used as they are or with some upgrades.

Another 11 are already planned, or a future need has been identified. They include the main Olympic Stadium. After the Games, temporary seating would be removed to reduce its capacity from 55,000 or 60,000 to a 25,000 to 30,000-seat rectangular football stadium which authorities agree will be needed to supplement Suncorp Stadium in the future.

The $2 billion Brisbane Live precinct above Roma Street Station, which will include a 17,000-seat indoor arena suited to several sports such as basketball and gymnastics, is also in that category.

The rest would be temporary facilities for sports such as beach volleyball, with the cost built into the operating budget.

Specific venues have not been identified in the report, but the Games would be spread across southeast Queensland. Brisbane would hold the opening and closing ceremonies, track and field and main swimming competition.

The Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands and Toowoomba would all host events. It is expected preliminary soccer rounds would also be staged at the new Townsville Stadium and that other areas would be used by various national teams as their training bases in the lead-up.

The 10,500 competitors would be housed in a main athletes' village to be built in Brisbane, with satellite accommodation hubs on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. A main media centre would be based in the capital, along with a media village to house the thousands of broadcasters and journalists.

"With an efficient and reliable transport network, the average athlete travel time to competition venues for an SEQ Olympic Games would be around 19 minutes," Cr Quirk said. "This is on par with previous Games and ensures our regional approach would not detract from the competitiveness of a potential bid."

The feasibility report was commissioned to see if a successful Olympic bid could be used to bring forward infrastructure such as a rapid rail network across the region, needed as the population swells from 3.5 million to 5.5 million over the next quarter of a century.

"Without the transport expenditure, it's no deal on the Olympics and it's a disaster for southeast Queensland in not keeping pace with our population growth," Cr Quirk said.

Preparing a southeast Queensland Olympic bid was one of the top action plan points to emerge from The Courier-Mail's recent Future SEQ campaign series investigating the challenges and opportunities facing the booming area.

Our next generation of superstar athletes have thrown their weight behind a Brisbane bid for the 2032 Olympic Games. Sprinter Riley Day and swimmer Ariarne Titmus announced themselves on the world stage at last year's Commonwealth Games and are daring to dream of performing in front of home crowds again.

Day said it would be amazing to race in front of Queensland crowds at an Olympic Games.

"Any time you get to compete in front of home crowds is awesome, but for it to be an Olympics would be incredible," she said.

[SurfRail]

Or alternatively (crazy idea) - just build the infrastructure anyway and DON'T hold the Olympics here.

[achiruel]

Or alternatively (crazy idea) - just build the infrastructure anyway and DON'T hold the Olympics here.

Now there's a novel idea! Are you listening Premier?

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/abcbrisbane/status/1098807497832357889

[#Metro]

Perth has excellent planning and infrastructure, and has NEVER held the Olympics!