Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games: Why online gaming could be key

Online gaming could hold the keys to truly creating a legacy at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. ALL THE DETAILS

Online gaming could be the secret to engaging young Queenslanders with the legacy opportunities of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The University of Queensland held its first Youth Game Changers Summit at the Queensland Academy of Sport recently to get high school students thinking about 2032 and beyond.

Sport, sustainability, the environment and First Nations culture were the priorities among more than 40 students from Wavell State High School and Matthew Flinders Anglican College that took part in the three-day program.

“It’s important for school students to engage with legacy building because this is their legacy,” UQ’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, Dr Stephen Townsend, said.

“In another 10 or 20 years, not only are they going to be leaders, but they are going to be the inheritors of this legacy.”

QAS strength and conditioning coach Leanne Magalong with students Tom Basford, Keira Rangi, Grace McManis and Keyarn Pene at the UQ Youth Game Changers event. Picture: David Kelly

Students pitched their 2032 legacy ideas to a panel of experts on the summit’s final day.

They included ‘Gabbafication’, an online game targeting young people about the Games and sustainability.

“We wanted to use a game to raise issues such as climate change, CO2 emissions. We are the ones who are going to be the change, so we need to target other young people like us,” Wavell State High School Year 11 student Keyarn Pene said.

“It’s been a real privilege to be the first group to build this legacy and be a part of this Youth Game Changers project.”

Other pitch ideas included a festival for aspiring Para-athletes, redesigning the Australian team uniform to incorporate First Nations artwork, increase sport participation among Indigenous youth, and an interactive walk along the Brisbane River that engages people with the culture and history of our Indigenous people.