Mayors from across south-east Queensland have launched a study to decide whether Brisbane should bid for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. The group includes regional and city councils from the Gold Coast in the south, to the Sunshine Coast in the north, and west to Toowoomba.
The proposal would require support from the federal and state governments before being put to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk lead the group, saying he plans to hold talks with the AOC, but added a formal expression of interest was still some way off.
He said the idea had come from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president who said he though it would be good for Australia to bid for one of the Games in the 2020s.
AOC president John Coats said “Brisbane has got a lot of good venues; the Gold Coast is getting venues”. He said south-east Queensland had already proven its capabilities on the world stage.
Sydney hosted the Games in 2000 and Melbourne in 1956. The next Summer Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020. Many cities have already expressed interest in a 2024 bid.
Application for the 2028 Olympics will be due in 2018.
