The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has named Brisbane as its “preferred candidate” city to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.
IOC president Thomas Bach said the Future Host Commission (FHC) had selected Brisbane as its 2032 project aligns fully with the 2020 Olympic Agenda.
“It proposes sustainable Games in line with the region’s long-term strategy and using primarily existing and temporary venues,” Bach said.
“The commitment of Australia and Oceania to Olympic sports has grown remarkably since the fantastic Olympic Games Sydney 2000.
“This is why we see such strong public support. We decided to seize an opportunity to take to the next stage our discussions about returning 32 years later.
“In this way, we are also acknowledging the strength of the Australian team and other athletes from across the continent of Oceania at the Olympic Games over the past decades.”
The IOC will now enter into a “targeted dialogue” with the Brisbane 2032 committee and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) about their potential to host the 2032 games.
If discussions are successful, Brisban will become the third Aussie city to host the games after Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.
If it is unsuccessful, it will rejoin the “continuous dialogue” the FHC has been engaged in with other interesting cities such as Doha, Budapest, Istanbul, Jakarta, New Delhi and St Petersburg.
“We are delighted the IOC executive board agreed with the commission’s recommendation to invite Brisbane 2032 to targeted dialogue,” FHC chair Kristin Kloster Aasen said.
“The IOC EB and the commission noted the excellent progress that it has made, the strength of its proposition and the strategic opportunities it affords to the Olympic movement. It meets all the criteria to be invited to move into the next stage.”
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