Which stadium should be the centrepiece of the Brisbane Olympics?

With an expert panel analysing the options, we put every Brisbane 2032 stadium under the microscope and crunch the numbers that matter. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Which stadium should be the centrepiece of the Brisbane Olympics?

Four stadiums are shaping up as the contenders to put Brisbane on the world stage in this 100-day review to end all Olympic and Paralympic Games reviews.

Some stadium proposals represent a return to the past while others are so ambitious they’d be more at home in Dubai.

Early next year the panel of seven experts will hand a report to Premier David Crisafulli for him to choose - once and for all - where track and field stars will compete in just over eight years’ time.

Victoria Park

Shaping as the site favoured by major stakeholders and sports lovers, Victoria Park could be Brisbane’s answer to the MCG.

The former golf course is accessible from three train stations, borders two existing busway stations - and is located on the edge of the CBD.

There are several options emerging for how the site could be used.

Victoria Park is favoured by major stakeholders and sports lovers.

One already released is dubbed Brisbane Bold, which says a 60,000-seat stadium could be built at Victoria Park for $2.6bn.

Victoria Park is the favoured site for Queensland Cricket and the Brisbane Lions, which are understood to have their own plan that is different to Brisbane Bold - but opponents say the green space should be preserved.

This option would avoid any displacement for the Lions and cricket, which can continue playing at the Gabba while Victoria Park is under construction.

The stadium would hold 60,000.

Key point of difference: Unlike other sites, Victoria Park is a greenfield site with few limits on how Brisbane creates a stadium fit for the world’s biggest event and a growing AFL team.

But: It breaks the state government’s “no new stadiums” promise and could be a political problem for Premier David Crisafulli.

Gabba

The old girl is reaching the end of her life, but is still in the race to play a major part in the 2032 Games.

The Gabba was the original plan for the main stadium when Annastacia Palaszczuk travelled to Tokyo in 2021 to win the Games.

A redeveloped Gabba could have Brisbane Arena across the road.

Disputes over East Brisbane State School and the athletics warm-up track at Raymond Park put the Gabba option “on the nose” in Brisbane.

The straw broke when Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner accused the state government of extortion by forcing the council to stump-up cash to upgrade the Ekka ground, where the Lions and cricket would play while being displaced from the Gabba while it was rebuilt.

The new Gabba would hold 55,000, compared to the current capacity of 42,000.

Those problems remain as a knock-down-rebuild would be needed to get the stadium up to Olympic athletic standards - and there is simply nowhere else for the AFL to play in Brisbane.

Key point of difference: An existing stadium with a storied history, the Gabba is centrally located to the city and benefits from Cross River Rail opening across the road.

But: The site is constrained and for the likely significant cost of demolishing and rebuilding, a new stadium, a greenfield site might be cheaper and would be easier.

Northshore Hamilton

Floating above the Brisbane River, Northshore Hamilton stadium would probably be the most spectacular venue to host an Olympic event since sand was dumped next to the Eiffel Tower.

It has a big price tag to go with it – $6bn, but the promise is it would not cost taxpayers a cent.

The precinct would cost $6bn.

A group of globally renowned architects – including the firm behind some of the best stadiums in the world such as Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium – says private investment can build the 60,000 seat stadium on 150ha of land.

Their only ask is the government donates the land – some private – required for the site and help fix the transport problems plaguing the Northshore area.

Inside the proposed Northshore Hamilton Stadium.

Key point of difference: It’s a stunning proposal of the like you’d see from the oil-rich United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia, but it could be built in Brisbane at no cost to the taxpayer.

But: The government would have to hand over for free $2bn worth of land to the private proponents who would build the precinct and right now it’s considered just a pretty picture.

Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre

Touted as the cheapest option and one that would leave a lasting legacy for athletics, QSAC was Steven Miles’s controversial pick.

It was first floated by then-International Olympic Committee vice president John Coates as an alternative to the divisive Gabba.

QSAC was widely panned as a cheap alternative not fit for the world stage.

The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre would need a major upgrade.

At 40,000 seats, it would have been the smallest Olympic athletics venue in 104 years. It would also only be temporary.

In the election campaign Premier David Crisafulli pledged to axe the proposal, arguing the site was “in the middle of the scrub”.

Key point of difference: An existing stadium that would probably need the least work to get it to Olympic standards, QSAC is considered the cheapest option.

But: Brisbane can do better than slapping a lick of paint and new seats on a stadium that hasn’t even been good enough for rugby league since 2002.

Originally published as Which stadium should be the centrepiece of the Brisbane Olympics?