The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has welcomed a review by the Queensland government into the rebuilding of Brisbane's Gabba cricket ground as the centrepiece of the 2032 Olympics. The rebuilding of the stadium to host the ceremonies and athletics at Australia's third Summer Olympics was part of a A$2.7 billion ($1.76 billion) redevelopment of the Woolloongabba suburb from which it gets its name.
In one of his first acts as the new Queensland premier in mid December, Steven Miles announced that the redevelopment plan would be paused until after a review that is scheduled to report on March 18. Miles, an enthusiastic backer of the project, this week conceded that he had failed to convince the Queensland public of its necessity and suggested an alternative plan to a full rebuild might end up being a better option.
President Ian Chesterman said on Thursday the AOC fully supported the review of the Gabba rebuild, suggesting it did not fit with International Olympic Committee (IOC) expectations of host cities in the modern era. "The IOC's New Norm process is designed to ensure the Games are both affordable and sustainable, with a strong preference for the use of existing or temporary facilities," he said in a statement.
"We believe there are other, more creative solutions than rebuilding the Gabba for the Games which provide a legacy for our sports and even greater access for fans to an exceptional Olympic and Paralympic Games. "We will put these ideas to the review committee."
Brisbane was granted the right to stage the Olympics in 2021 under the New Norm process, a more targeted bidding procedure aimed at saving hundreds of millions of dollars for host cities and increasing long-term sustainability. Some 80% of the venues for the 2032 Games are already in place with the Gabba redevelopment and a federal government-funded A$2.5 billion arena to host the swimming the only two major construction projects planned. ($1 = 1.5314 Australian dollars)