FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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IOC awards Brisbane the 2032 Summer Olympics under new selection process

IOC awards Brisbane the 2032 Summer Olympics under new selection process

TOKYO - In a vote that formalized what had been known since February, the International Olympic Committee named Brisbane the host of the 2032 Summer Games, the third Olympics for Australia.

The next three Summer Games are now set: Paris will stage the Olympics in 2024 and Los Angeles will follow in 2028.

In a break from convention, the IOC targeted Brisbane as its "preferred choice" of host in February, affording the city exclusive negotiating rights. The traditional process was overhauled in 2019 in large part because of how costly and bloated it had become, alienating some cities from bidding.

In February, the IOC also said it identified Brisbane so far ahead of time "given the uncertainty the world is facing right now" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"The legacy for our city is immense, the opportunity for our city is immense, but also the opportunity for the Olympic movement is significant," Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner said in a news conference after the vote Wednesday. "We have a new model, which downsizes the budget for hosting the Olympics but supersizes the benefits. And this is very exciting, not just for Brisbane, but for other cities that hope in the future to host the Olympics and Paralympics."

Cities in Germany, Qatar and India, among others, also had expressed interest in hosting.

The capital of the northeastern state of Queensland, Brisbane has qualities that made it an early favorite: many existing venues, experience in hosting large-scale, international events, a favorable summer climate and strong backing from both the government and private sector.

While most events are expected to take place in Brisbane, some will be staged across Queensland including along the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, which hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

"It's something that our state and our city has always aspired to but we never thought that it was possible," Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk said. "But under the Olympics' new norm, we have over 80 percent of our venues, we have cooperation with all three levels of government and we have got agreements to do the infrastructure that is already needed for our city, which will compliment the Games. We're a sports loving state, and this will give us, I believe, our golden age in Queensland."

Australia will be the second country after the United States to host the Summer Games in three different cities.

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