Brisbane 2032 Olympics: Grant Hackett delivers warning on preparations

Grant Hackett is certain Brisbane can deliver a Games the whole country will be proud of, but has added a word of caution.

Olympian Grant Hackett has shared his wisdom on Brisbane’s Games preparation.

A three-time Olympian who won two gold and one silver medal in 1500m freestyle at the biggest event in sport, Grant Hackett knows the most reliable path to success is through preparing well then working hard.

And that’s the same message the Queensland swimming legend is urging organisers of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics to consider – to think big and get started as soon as possible on delivering a Games that will live in the memory forever.

“All of the stuff that has a big impact, you’ve got to start the execution now or else you’re going to miss the window for it, and it’s not going to have the legacy that we would all love to see,” Hackett said.

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“I think there’s one thing that we’re really conscious of in Australia right now around these particular Olympics, is that we don’t want to be embarrassed by it because we just saw how good Paris is.

“There’s an expectation out there that we’ve got Paris, then we’ve got LA and the Americans never do things in halves, and then we’re going to come to Brisbane, so let’s not be the flop.”

Just like when he swam for Australia, Hackett gives everything to causes he believes in, which is why he’s so passionate about Brisbane 2032.

This story is part of The Courier-Mail’s annual Future Brisbane series advocating for a focus on the right legacy outcomes from the hosting of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. You can read all our coverage here

Hackett is certain that Brisbane can deliver a Games the whole country will be incredibly proud of, but he added a word of caution that there was little time to waste.

“You’re either going to be a flop because of the preparation and the execution that commences now, not because of the stuff that you do in the last two or three years in the lead-up to the Games,” he said.

“The ship’s sailed by then, in my personal view.”

Grant Hackett at the Australian swimming championships in 2016

Now based in Victoria, Hackett said he was reminded of the enduring legacy left by the Olympics every time he walked past the Melbourne Cricket Ground, centrepiece of the 1956 Games.

He gets the same feeling whenever he’s back at Homebush Bay and spots the Olympic rings and all the other permanent reminders that Sydney, like Melbourne, is part of that exclusive list of cities.

He says no matter what Brisbane decides to do with its choice of venues for 2032, it needs to create a lasting legacy that celebrates the great events that happen there.

“It’s one thing that it’s an opportunity to get the city right up to global standards, but you also need to be able to go to a place where you know the Olympics were there,” Hackett said.

“I don’t want to use the word shrine but it almost feels like that when you go out to Homebush and you see the Olympic rings or you go to Melbourne Park and you’re driving through the main street between AAMI Park and the MCG.

“I think it’s important that that greatness lives on in key parts of the city and that there’s an inspiring legacy … because it’s part of the history of the place and it’s a big deal.

“I find the best legacies are things when you actually have something physical or tangible to be able to associate with what actually took place there. For me, those have always been really powerful.”

Hackett supports Swimming Australia’s campaign for a world-class and permanent aquatic facility in Brisbane.

But Hackett also wants Brisbane’s organisers to find ways to showcase Queensland’s natural beauty to the world.

“How do we want to continue to inspire the community and give opportunities in the community that they probably didn’t have before with some of these great facilities?” he said.

“Queensland has some of the most beautiful locations on the planet.”