2032 Olympics: IOC confirms Brisbane the ‘preferred bid’ with other cities ‘parked’
- Australian Olympic Committee head Coates said IOC has given Queensland capital ‘significant recognition’ in its bid
- State Premier Palaszczuk cites Brisbane already having 85 per cent of venues as the ‘game-changer’
An Australian push to host the 2032 Olympics was elevated overnight to the status of preferred bid, and the people of Brisbane and southeast Queensland state woke up to the news on Thursday morning.
It’s not a done deal yet, but powerful Olympic official John Coates is vowing to get it across the finish line when the IOC makes the final call, which could be within 12 months.
“It was a long night … but a very mature decision from the IOC. To take a decision when you’ve still got a few other cities there and say ‘well, we’re going to go into targeted dialogue with one preferred city’ was a big call by them,” Coates said.
“The IOC now deal exclusively with us while we complete the questionnaire. The other cities who have shown interest have been parked ... it’s significant recognition.”
IOC president Thomas Bach told a news conference in Switzerland on Wednesday that an IOC panel overseeing the bid process would begin “targeted dialogue” with Australian organisers.
