Another major sporting body eying a move to Brisbane

Just 24 hours after it was revealed the Australian Institute of Sport was considering a relocation to Queensland, another major national sporting group could be lured to Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.

Queensland is on track to cement its place as the home of Olympic sporting talent with revelations AusCycling could be lured to Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Games, just 24 hours after it was revealed the Australian Institute of Sport was considering a move.

The Courier-Mail can reveal AusCycling is investigating whether to ditch its South Australian base in favour of Chandler’s Anna Meares Velodrome – considered Australia’s best track cycling facility.

Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe confirmed the government was engaging in discussions with a range of sporting bodies.

“We have quality, high-performance training facilities and increased funding to assist the Queensland Academy of Sport to develop new elite sporting talent for international competition now and in the lead up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” he said.

“As part of our Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan, the Palaszczuk Government is in discussion with a number of national sporting organisations about their needs and the high-performance training options available in Queensland.

“Our climate and training facilities helped athletes prepare for the Tokyo Games which also benefited regional economies.”

The outdoor velodrome at Chandler. Picture: Mark Calleja

But the lack of a wind tunnel at Chandler could bring the AusCycling deal undone – with South Australian and federal governments investing $8m in a National Centre of Sports Aerodynamics in Adelaide.

Several of Australia’s track cyclists, including the bronze medal-winning team pursuit men, trained in Brisbane before flying to Tokyo.

AusCycling, which did not respond to a request for comment, is the latest major sporting body eyeing a potential move to Brisbane.

The Courier-Mail on Monday revealed the AIS previously made a formal, but until-now secret, relocation approach to the Queensland government in 2018.

Federal Sport Minister Richard Colbeck said the government was reviewing the future of the national institute and whether it would support relocating to Queensland.

“A detailed business case has been undertaken for the potential redevelopment of the Australian Institute of Sport campus in Canberra,” he said.

“The business case is providing the opportunity for intensive investigation of the costs and benefits of options for the future of the AIS site.

“The Government is still considering what the AIS footprint will look like in the future.”

Olympics supremo John Coates backed calls for elements of the AIS to be relocated as a key building block for a successful 2032 Games but said it was up each national sporting body to decide where to be based.

A spokesman for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this week said it was “an example of how the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games is already attracting the attention of those who want to invest in Queensland”.