Meanjin messaging: Indigenous languages set to be spoken at Olympic venues

Queensland’s Indigenous languages could be showcased on the global stage in 2032, with the state’s sport minister hinting at multilingual announcements at Olympic venues being expanded to include the local First Nations language.

At the launch of Elevate 2042, the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games 20-year legacy strategy, Stirling Hinchliffe said inclusivity was embedded in the document, which had been well-received by the International Olympic Committee.

Sport Minister Stirling Hincliffe expects First Nations languages to feature prominently at the 2032 Olympic Games.Credit: Cameron Atfield

The use of Indigenous languages during the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup resulted in Meanjin – or the alternative spelling “Meeanjin” – trending in Google searches whenever matches were played in Brisbane.

The traditional name for the city featured prominently at matches held at Suncorp Stadium.

“Ultimately, these are matters for the organising committee to determine,” Hinchliffe said.

“But it’s the tradition with the Olympic Games that all venues have announcements made in the host country’s language, and in English and in French.

“So the question is, maybe some host venues might have announcements during the Games being announced in English, French and the First Nations language.

“The traditional language of country can be a really important thing to help inspire and develop value of culture and understanding of culture and shared understanding.”

While the accompanying Elevate 2042 booklet was lacking in detail, such as some specific projects or costings, Hinchliffe said the “admittedly high-level document” would lay the platform for more detailed planning going forward.

Some legacy projects were listed, such as the Paralympic Centre of Excellence at UQ, a housing precinct at the Northshore athletes’ village and the Birkdale Community Precinct centred around the whitewater sports venue, but they had been announced previously.

Brisbane 2032 organising committee president Andrew Liveris said the focus on legacy was unprecedented in Olympic history, helped in no small way by the longer-than-normal lead time of 11 years. That time is now down to nine years.

The “admittedly high-level” Elevate 2042 document will lay the platform for more detailed planning going forward, the government says.

Liveris said Brisbane’s approach to legacy would be a blueprint for future Olympic Games, with Indian officials already seeking Brisbane’s advice for their own potential bid.

“When I was appointed a year-and-a-half ago now – it seems like yesterday – I promised that we would actually use this first three years to plan and to set expectations for delivery and that’s what we’ve been doing with our Games delivery partners,” Liveris said.

“Elevate 2042 has been presented in that way. Everyone from [IOC president] Thomas Bach down is just gobsmacked with what we’re planning to do.

“There’s a lot of work in front of us and a lot of mountains to climb, but when we get to the metrics and the milestones that the organising committee is working on that we’ll start talking about next year, this will be a big piece of it right here.”

The rail spur line into Maroochydore was one of many notable infrastructure omissions from the document.

Acting Premier Steven Miles said while the state government considered it to be a vital piece of needed infrastructure, it was not so vital for Olympics delivery.

“Certainly there are contingency options that would allow the Games to proceed smoothly without that infrastructure, but it is a critical legacy item for the Sunshine Coast,” he said.

“We are doing our very best to convince the Australian government to continue with their commitment to funding that really important thing.”