Gold Coast bid to host 2032 Games swimming amid $550m blowout
Mayor Tom Tate said has slammed revelations that a 2032 Games aquatic centre has already blown out to $1.2 billion and backed the Gold Coast to serve as a viable Plan B.
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Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has labelled the Brisbane Olympic aquatic centre shock cost blowout “a lot of community halls” following earlier claims the Glitter Strip could “do a Bradbury” and play host to the blue ribbon swimming events.
Speaking at a tree planting ceremony at Robina on Wednesday to mark the seven-year countdown for the 2032 Games, Mr Tate said he had concerns about reports the cost of a planned Brisbane swimming centre had already blown out by more than half a billion dollars to $1.2 billion and backed the Gold Coast to serve as a viable Plan B.
Before the announcement of Games venues earlier this year, Mr Tate had lobbied for the swimming to be held on the Gold Coast, maintaining the city was ready to step up to the plate if Brisbane plans collapsed, similar to how Aussie speed skater Steven Bradbury went down in sporting folklore following a crash which wiped out all of his rivals at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
While backing Games officials to overcome the major Brisbane venue cost blowout, Mr Tate, who serves on the board of the 2032 organising committee, said the Gold Coast was “Games ready and here to help”.
“We have got a very good aquatic centre (and) it wouldn’t take much to upgrade into Olympic standard, but I’m still of the belief that challenges in Brisbane can still be overcome,” he said.
“But it’s always good to have the Gold Coast as plan B.”
He said $1.2bn was “a lot of community halls that can happen throughout regional Queensland” and upgrading the Gold Coast venue which hosted swimming at the 2018 Commonwealth Games would be a relatively straightforward exercise.
“I’m torn about the amount of money (for the Brisbane swimming centre),” he said.
“Is it worth it as value for money? I think people will be the judge of that.
“I have a master plan for us to be able to do all of that (Olympic swimming centre).
“We’ve got plenty of land at the Broadwater Parklands … but I want to make it clear, I’m not trying to wedge in and get swimming to the Gold Coast.
“All I’m saying is that, you know, remember that you have Plan B on the Gold Coast.
“After all, we’re a co-host of these Games.”
Mr Tate successfully lobbied for hockey to be moved from the original proposal of the Ballymore rugby stadium in Brisbane to the Labrador venue which hosted the sport at the Commonwealth Games and the city’s Hinze Dam also remains in play as a potential venue for rowing as debate continues over whether Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River is a suitable location.
Originally published as Gold Coast bid to host 2032 Games swimming amid $550m blowout
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