Stirling Hinchliffe suggests ibis should be contender for 2032 Games mascot

Annastacia Palaszczuk has poured cold water on a tongue-in-cheek suggestion from one of her ministers that the ibis should be a contender to be the mascot for the 2032 Olympic Games. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has declared it’s highly unlikely that the maligned ibis will be a mascot for the 2032 Brisbane Games.

It comes after Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe suggested the bin chicken would be a good contender to represent the River City during the sporting spectacular.

Ms Palaszczuk poured cold water on the idea on Monday morning, saying it was “highly unlikely” that the ibis would become the Games’ mascot.

“But I will let the public decide,” the Premier said.

“I’m quite sure there will be a lot of public debate but I don’t know if the ibis is going to rate there as number one. I think they (the public) might share my views.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she had a few ideas about the mascot, but would keep them to herself for the time being.

“I think he (Mr Hinchliffe) can have his views, but I’ll have mine,” she said.

In a seemingly tongue-in-cheek offering, Mr Hinchliffe floated the idea on Sunday, saying he had a “soft touch” for the idea that the bird - often referred to in Brisbane as a bin chicken - would play a role during the Games.

“And I know there’s plenty of Queenslanders who think that’s something that might be appropriate as well,” he said.

With 3700 days to go until the opening ceremony, there’s plenty of time to select a mascot.

“As the Member for Sandgate, I’ve got a quiet sort of soft touch for the idea that the ibis might play a role,” Mr Hinchliffe offered.

“And I know there’s plenty of Queenslanders who think that’s something that might be appropriate as well.

“But the reality is this is something that we can work on as a community to help tell our story to the globe, and we’ll do that together.”

Mr Hinchliffe said it was great to have Borobi the koala act as the mascot during the 2018 Commonwealth Games, pointing to the marsupial’s status as Queensland’s faunal emblem.

“But I’m not going to lock things into where we go,” Mr Hinchliffe – who is also the Minister assisting the Premier on Olympics and Paralympics Sport – said.

“It will be an important decision when it is made by the organising committee.”

Mascots have been a fixture at the Summer Olympic Games since 1972, with a wide range of characters chosen to play the role.

Syd the platypus, Olly the kookaburra, and Millie the echidna were selected as the three mascots for the 2000 Games in Sydney.

Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

During the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, Matilda – the giant, winking kangaroo – served as the River City’s mascot.

And when Borobi became the mascot for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, it was the first time that a koala had been chosen as a mascot for a major Australian multisport event.

The surfing marsupial was inspired by a drawing from Brisbane schoolteacher Merrilyn Krohn.

A campaign was launched last year to push for the Sunshine Coast’s Big Pineapple to become the mascot for the 2032 Games.