Leaders from IOC, FIFA, FINA, IAAF head to Gold Coast for SportAccord conference

Some of world sport’s heaviest hitters are heading to Australia for a conference which could ignite fresh bids for some of the biggest sporting spectacles on the planet.

IT’S game on for Australia.

Some of world sport’s heaviest hitters will head to Queensland for a conference that could ignite fresh bids for some of the biggest sporting spectacles on the planet.

Ahead of a proposed Queensland tilt at the 2032 Olympics, dozens of executives from the International Olympic Committee, world swimming’s FINA, the IAAF (world athletics) and other international organisations will arrive on the Gold Coast this weekend for the SportAccord conference.

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The event sees more than 1000 delegates sow the seeds for hosting rights to some of the world’s biggest events.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last year foreshadowed an attempt to lure the World Championships in athletics hot on the heels of the Commonwealth Games.

There has never been a better time to strike, with key members of the sport’s governing body set to take a venue tour of the Gold Coast’s major stadiums and facilities.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach will be on the Gold Coast for SportAccord. (JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)

IOC president Thomas Bach will visit the Coast, along with other senior IOC officials, delegates from FIFA (world soccer), FIBA (world basketball) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), while FINA and the IAAF are also sending some of their top brass.

FINA president Julio Maglione will attend, while the IAAF’s competitions and events director Paul Hardy will also be on the Gold Coast.

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) boss Sebastian Coe at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

IAAF president Sebastian Coe met with Ms Palaszczuk during the Commonwealth Games about a possible Gold Coast campaign for the sport’s world championships.

During SportAccord, delegates will tour venues used during the Commonwealth Games to see how they stack up for other competitions.

Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the state was ready to work with governing bodies considering bringing events to the state.

SportAccord managing ­director Nis Hatt said the conference was an opportunity to engage with the international sporting community.

Originally published as Leaders from IOC, FIFA, FINA, IAAF head to Gold Coast for SportAccord conference