It's official: Brisbane will host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The International Olympic Committee has voted in Tokyo to confirm Brisbane as host of the 2032 Games.

People celebrate in Brisbane after the International Olympic Committee voted to confirm the city will host the 2032 Summer Olympics, on 21 July, 2021.

People celebrate in Brisbane after the International Olympic Committee voted to confirm the city will host the 2032 Summer Olympics, on 21 July, 2021. Source: AAP

Brisbane has officially been named the host of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games following a vote by the International Olympic Committee in Tokyo.

It means Australia will become only the second country after the United States to host a Summer Games in three different cities.

Melbourne held the Games in 1956 and then Sydney in 2000.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Australian delegation provided a final presentation to IOC members before the vote on Wednesday.
Brisbane's bid was already considered as good as a done deal after it, and the state of Queensland, was installed as the preferred bidder for the events by the committee earlier this year.

Needing to secure half the votes of its members, Brisbane was preferred ahead of Budapest, Korea, Doha and Germany's Ruhr Valley, which had all expressed an interest in hosting the Games.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was "a historic day not just for Brisbane and Queensland, but for the entire country".

"It also marks an important leap forward for Australia as we look toward major events that lock in economic growth and social benefits that will echo for years to come," he said in a statement.

"We know the impact on Sydney more than two decades ago was transformative. We can now expect a repeat for Brisbane and communities across Queensland."

He also described Australia's multicultural population, with 300 ethnicities, as a "giant Olympic village".
President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach announces Brisbane as the 2032 Summer Olympics host city during the 138th IOC Session at Hotel Okura in Tokyo, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (Toru Hanai/Pool Photo via AP)
President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach announces Brisbane as the 2032 Summer Olympics host city Source: Pool Getty Images
Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates, who is also an IOC vice-president, dubbed Brisbane "the together Games" mixing modernity and the Olympics' 136-year-old ideals.

Paralympics Australia President Jock O'Callaghan also hailed the announcement.

"The Paralympics has grown to become far and away the world's biggest event for promoting inclusion, a global showcase of the true value of sport," Mr O'Callaghan said.

"This means that hosting the Games opens up extensive opportunities."
Paris is set to stage the 2024 Games while Los Angeles has been awarded the 2028 edition.

The 2020 Tokyo Games, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to formally get underway on Friday.

Rising COVID-19 cases in Tokyo have cast a large shadow over the event, which will take place without spectators and has faced calls for it to be called off.

With AAP and Reuters.


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3 min read
Published 21 July 2021 6:32pm
Updated 21 July 2021 6:59pm


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