Lord of the Olympic rings says SEQ could host Games 'for free'

The president of the powerful International Olympic Committee is "pretty impressed" with the level of detail in south-east Queensland's feasibility study into hosting the 2032 Games.

With a motorcade of imposing all-black luxury vans parked out front of City Hall, IOC president Thomas Bach met Brisbane's new lord mayor Adrian Schrinner, telling him south-east Queensland could host an Olympic Games essentially for free.

IOC president Thomas Bach (right) and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner are seen taking a quick tour outside the Brisbane City Hall.Credit: AAP Image / Glenn Hunt

And when asked if 32 years would be enough time between two Australian Olympic Games - the same time period between Atlanta 1996 and the coming Los Angeles event in 2028 - the IOC president answered simply, "yes".

Dr Bach and Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates are in Queensland for SportAccord 2019, one of the world's largest events for sporting and event officials, being held on the Gold Coast this week.

The Olympic supremos rolled into Brisbane on Monday to meet with Cr Schrinner, who chairs the Council of Mayors South East Queensland, as well as Brisbane's former lord mayor, Graham Quirk.

The Council of Mayors is considering a multi-city bid for the Olympic Games with events across Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Ipswich, Toowoomba, Redland, Moreton Bay and Logan instead of the traditional single-city bid.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates and Dr Bach in Brisbane.Credit: AAP Image/ Glenn Hunt

A feasibility study commissioned by the group revealed a total operating budget of $5.3 billion.

It was expected the cost could be offset by a $1.7 billion contribution from the International Olympic Committee and $2.7 billion of domestic revenue, leaving a net cost of $900 million.

However, it was on Monday revealed the International Olympic Committee would pitch in more cash than expected.

Dr Bach said the committee would contribute US$1.8 billion to the Los Angeles Olympic Games to be held in 2028.

Dr Bach (centre) and Cr Schrinner are seen taking a quick tour outside the Brisbane City Hall.Credit: AAP Image / Glenn Hunt

"At least so far we have no indication that this will be less for 2032," he said.

"I think this figure was new to the mayors and I could see them starting calculating in their heads and what this means for their feasibility study and for their budget."

That translates to $2.58 billion coming in from the International Olympic Committee if south-east Queensland went ahead with the Games, rather than the $1.7 billion previously expected during the feasibility study.

The net figure excludes the cost of infrastructure, including public transport, which Cr Schrinner said was already needed for the growing region.

"The operating costs of the Games can be done in a cost-neutral manner," Cr Schrinner said.

"This is a better outcome than we anticipated in our feasibility report."

Last year's Gold Coast Commonwealth Games cost $1.2 billion.

Dr Bach said the committee was "pretty impressed" with how detailed south-east Queensland's studies were but he did not want to compare it with other cities' planning because the 2032 Games were still 13 years away.

Cr Schrinner said he did not believe a decision would need to be made on whether to progress to a formal bid until 2020.

"The next step is getting the state and federal governments involved, we have been working closely with them already," he said.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said the city would be happy to make its facilities available for the Olympic bid.

"However, I said that we won't be adding any dollars towards the funding part because we did a lot of our heavy lifting during the Commonwealth Games as far as our funding and budget's concerned," he said.

"It's time that Gold Coast takes a break and lets Brisbane write the cheques."

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who will meet with Dr Bach on Tuesday, said any decision to stage a bid would be on the basis that it was in the best interests of "all of Queensland".

"If there is to be a successful bid to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in south-east Queensland, it will require support from all levels of government - local, state and federal - as well as the private sector," she said.

A potential Olympic Games bid for south-east Queensland was first flagged in 2015.

Australia last hosted an Olympic Games in 2000, when Sydney was the host city.