Sydney 2000 boss Rod McGeoch warns of politics hurting Brisbane 2032

Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games organisers have been warned they must overcome political differences if the 2032 event is to upstage Sydney.

Brisbane Olympics organisers must overcome political differences if the 2032 event is to upstage Sydney and become the greatest Games of all time, Rod McGeoch has declared.

The chief executive of the 2000 Bid Committee told the Future Brisbane forum the city is in a better place than Sydney to capitalise on the full potential of the Games.

However, Mr McGeoch said Brisbane’s success relied on a bipartisan approach between both sides of politics.

“The Sydney Games, almost without exception, were run on an apolitical basis,” he said.

“When I travelled overseas with Minister (Bruce) Baird we took the shadow minister with us John Murray.

Rod McGeoch at The Courier-Mail's annual Future Brisbane event. Picture: Adam Head

“I briefed the parliament.

“It kept them up to date, and we managed that issue all the way without it ever becoming party political.”

He argued Queensland had a better relationship with Canberra than Sydney did and insisted it remains cordial.

“The federal government’s a real partner here putting in considerable money and they’ve got representatives on the board,” he said.

“Nothing like that happened with us … that’s just the way it was.

“(They said) Sydney’s bidding, Sydney’s in New South Wales so well you’re responsible for putting everything on.”

Three years after winning the Games, Mr McGeoch said it wasn’t a “big problem” to still be changing plans and declared, with more than seven years to go, Brisbane is in a better place than Sydney.

Mr McGeoch said failed Olympic bids for Sydney in 1988, 1992 and 1996 meant, by the time it won in 1993, a plan to use Homebush Bay, Sydney Harbour and Darling Harbour in 2000 was etched in stone.

“The plan was the plan so we’ve never had this sort of discussion about, we’ll have a stadium or won’t we and where’s it going to be – it didn’t happen because of an enormous amount of preparation that goes way back into the mid-70s for Games that we won in 1993,” he said.

“That was our good fortune.

Brisbane’s Olympic Games success could hinge on teamwork.

“Brisbane hasn’t had that opportunity so it’s got to go through a little bit of agony, stroke preparation to get the outcome that it’s after.”

Moments after Premier David Crisafulli revealed the first-class-panel to review infrastructure, Mr McGeoch urged him to embrace a partnership with the public sector.

The Sydney 2000 Games included $1bn of private infrastructure investment.

“There is in the culture of politicians at the moment, on all sides, this thing about not sourcing private capital which I do not understand,” he said.

“You know and I know that there’s a real question on the Gabba as a future major international cricket facility. You can’t let that happen. You’ve got to have a major international cricket facility otherwise you won’t get a test match.”

Originally published as Sydney 2000 boss Rod McGeoch warns of politics hurting Brisbane 2032