After 3½ years of bickering, it’s crunch time for Brisbane Olympics

Amid competing plans and multibillion-dollar price tags, the premier will now decide on the Olympic stadium – with implications for cricket, the AFL and beyond.

A visionary yet more expensive and unlikely option proposed is the Hamilton Northshore site from a consortium called the Brisbane Design Alliance. Brisbane Design Alliance

James Hall and Zoe Samios

Jan 30, 2025 – 6.20pm

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It was an unusual, albeit critical moment in Queensland’s history: then-premier Annastacia Palaszczuk holding a “Brisbane 2032” placard with her smile hidden by a face mask.

Palaszczuk had circumvented COVID-19 travel restrictions and arrived in Tokyo, where Brisbane was announced as the newest host of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The decision was supposed to be a major coup for the new host city – a chance for the rapidly growing region to transform its sports and entertainment landscape and transport infrastructure.

correction —

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that engineering firm Arcadis drafted plans for the stadium precinct at Victoria Park, rather than Archipelago. The article has been updated to fix this error.

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James HallQueensland correspondentJames Hall is the Financial Review's Queensland correspondent.

Zoe SamiosBusiness reporterZoe Samios covers wagering and the business of sport from the AFR's Sydney newsroom. She was previously the media and telecommunications reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and covered media at The Australian.