President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, has strongly denied reports that Brisbane is considering cancelling its bid to host the Olympic Games in 2032.
IOC President Thomas Bach told the media that it was made very clear that the cancellation of the Games was not mentioned in any conversation they had with the government of the Australian state of Queensland, whose capital Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Summer Olympic Games. “Obviously it was some kind of fake news,” he said.
Speculation about the cancellation of the Games in Australia grew after Prime Minister Steven Miles announced plans to scrap the redevelopment of the Gabba stadium. The Gabba redevelopment was expected to cost around 2.7 billion Australian dollars (€1.62 billion), but the government decided to build a new 55,000-seater stadium at a cost of around 3 billion Australian dollars (€ 1.8 billion), using the city’s existing infrastructure, which will be significantly upgraded.
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A spokesman for the Queensland Premier said the government had never sought advice on cancelling the games. “We have always said Queensland would host great Games; we never had any intention of cancelling them,” the spokesperson confirmed.
The decision was made as part of an independent review of sports facilities for the infrastructure of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In a statement, the government said it was ensuring costs remained within the $7.1 billion budget shared by the federal and Queensland governments.
The review was conducted by an independent panel led by former Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Graham Quirk. President of the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee, Andrew Liveris, said the Olympic and Paralympic Games must adapt to the region, not the other way around. “We will use the facilities and infrastructure available to us,” he said. “Deadlines and costs are essential and progress must be rapid.”
The Australian city of Brisbane was selected to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games by a vote of 72 in favour to 5 against, and will be the third time Australia has hosted the Olympics after Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.
