Brisbane 2032 Games: Paralympic Centre of Excellence for UQ

A world-first multimillion-dollar para-athletic training centre will be built in Brisbane – but it has an eyebrow-raising feature.

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A world-first multimillion-dollar para-athletic training centre will be built in Brisbane under a landmark legacy deal between the state government and the University of Queensland but the design has raised some eyebrows.

The Paralympic Centre of Excellence will be the first of its kind, with international standard venues, a wheelchair and prosthetics workshop, and dedicated testing facilities for the lead-up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and beyond.

The proposed design of the new Paralympic Centre of Excellence at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus, however, bizarrely appears to include steep spiral staircase as its bold architectural centrepiece.

The spiral staircase is a centrepiece of the design.

While the university on Tuesday explained the staircase was actually part of a proposed adjoining Health and Recreation Centre, and that both buildings would be fully accessible, the images will no doubt still dismay many para-athletes – who bravely fight every day for inclusion.

Released to The Courier-Mail by the office of Premier and Olympics and Paralympics Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk’s office late on Tuesday, the designs show a sparkling new three-storey light-filled facility emblazoned with the university logo – but with the front doors opening on to the grand staircase emblazoned in UQ’s purple hue, the only way you can see to access the second and third levels.

When The Courier-Mail asked why the design of the facility that Ms Palaszczuk said would “inspire para-athletes” of the future boasted a central staircase through its front door and no obvious ramps or lifts, the Ms Palaszczuk’s office said it was not their render, while UQ said: “The artist’s impression shows the Paralympics Centre of Excellence ... to the left alongside a planned Health and Recreation Centre.

“The staircase is part of (that) building.

“Both buildings will be fully accessible.”

An artist’s impression of the new Paralympic facility at UQ, St Lucia

Both the state government and UQ have pitched in $44m each to deliver the centre, with construction expected to begin in 2025-26.

Paralympics Australia president Jock O’Callaghan said the investment was proof of the enormous, long-lasting benefits hosting the Games could bring to the city and its people.

“This is an overwhelming demonstration from the Queensland government that the Brisbane 2032 can deliver tangible outcomes before the Games and a meaningful legacy that will live on for generations to come,” he said.

The announcement comes as 500 Queenslanders prepare to gather in Brisbane on Wednesday for the Brisbane 2032 Legacy Forum to shape the state’s Games legacy plan – an idea born from The Courier-Mail’s Future Brisbane series.

The federal government has also been called upon to match support for the centre, with Premier and Olympics and Paralympics Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk saying the state’s support is on the table.

Of the 4.3 million Australians with a disability, only one in four currently participate in sport – despite 75 per cent wanting to take part.

“This proposed development cannot only produce future Paralympic champions and develop world-leading sporting expertise, but importantly, provide a range of opportunities to improve the lives of Australians living with a disability,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

Ms Palaszczuk said the Paralympic Centre of Excellence would inspire more para-athletes to compete in 2032.

“But it also provides invaluable research and other opportunities for our community,” she said. “This is what legacy is all about: the long-lasting benefits to our community long after the closing ceremonies.”

The facility, expected to be completed in 2027-28, would have 22 full-time staff and cater for 20 out of the 23 Paralympic sports.

University of Queensland vice-chancellor Deborah Terry said the centre would support more people with disabilities to access sport and strive for gold beyond 2032.

Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said UQ’s St Lucia campus was the perfect place to build the centre.

“This will be the first centre of excellence of its kind anywhere in the world combining leading research, sport technology, rehabilitation, and a potential runway to a Paralympics medal podium in 2032,” he said.