IOC decision: 2032 Olympic Games go to Brisbane

Brisbane will host the Olympic Games in 2032. The metropolis in the Australian state of Queensland has been awarded the contract for the Summer Games in eleven years. However, the award leaves a smack.

Brisbane will host the Olympic Games 2032. The metropolis in the Australian state of Queensland was awarded the contract for the Summer Games in eleven years from the 138th session of the International Olympic Committee in Tokyo. Brisbane had been declared a “preferred candidate” by the IOC as part of a new award process and was therefore the only candidate for the games of the 35th Olympiad. For Australia it will be the third summer games after 1956 in Melbourne and 2000 in Sydney. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 24, 2032.

The early pre-selection of Brisbane had caused surprise and criticism from other interested parties. The Rhine-Ruhr region also endeavored with an Olympic project for the 2032 Games. The private initiative was supported by the state government and the municipalities. However, the German Olympic Sports Confederation had not yet submitted a formal application to the IOC because the umbrella organization still saw many questions unanswered and assumed a much later award decision.

Awarding leaves an aftertaste

IOC President Thomas Bach had described the Brisbane application as “irresistible”. The fact that the Australian IOC Vice President John Coates was in charge of developing the new award procedure leaves at least an aftertaste – and the first winner is now his home country, of all places. The IOC denied a conflict of interest. Coates did not vote on any decision.

The organizers calculated the costs for the games in Brisbane to be almost three billion euros. The Australian state bears half of this. Brisbane advertises that only a small portion of the Olympic arenas need to be rebuilt. According to surveys, there is broad support for the Olympic plans in the region.

After the games in Tokyo, which are due to open on Friday, Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 are the next summer hosts. The 2022 Winter Games will take place in Beijing, with Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo hosting the event in 2026.

DOSB President welcomes IOC’s decision

The President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), Alfons Hörmann, described Brisbane, the host chosen by the IOC, as the “perfect solution”. “Months ago we already emphasized that the city has all the requirements to be an excellent host for the 2032 Games. That is why we were aware, unlike others, two years ago that Brisbane is a clear favorite for the award”, said Hörmann the news agency dpa.

“What Germany will do with this decision and when the time will be for a new application for summer or winter must be discussed and discussed calmly. I do not want to anticipate that,” said Hörmann, who will not run for re-election in December.

The last discussion was about a candidacy for the 2036 Summer Games, 100 years after those under the Nazi regime in Berlin in 1936. There is enough time for a decision, said Hörmann. “I assume that this will be dealt with with full responsibility and then also with the Rhine-Ruhr Initiative, for example,” added the DOSB President. NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet and the applicant cities on the Rhine and Ruhr had indicated that they wanted to continue their efforts for the summer games.