Queensland Premier David Crisafulli reveals venues for 2032 Brisbane Olympics

The highly controversial venues for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics have been revealed, including where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held.

The venues for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been revealed.

Four years since Queensland was awarded the Games, the highly contentious and expensive venue plans are taking shape.

On Tuesday, Premier David Crisafulli set out which cities will host what events up and down the Sunshine State.

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Most contentiously, sports fans also learnt which stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics.

A new Olympic stadium will be built at Victoria Park, as will a 25,000-seat National Aquatic Centre, which will become the home of Australian water sports.

The RNA Showgrounds will become a 20,000-seat boutique stadium, next to a relocated Brisbane athletes’ village.

On the campaign trail, then-opposition leader Mr Crisafulli promised no new stadiums would be built.

But a new stadium, at the sprawling inner-city Victoria Park, has now been confirmed as the centrepiece stadium of the Games. Protesters against the new stadium gathered outside the announcement event on Tuesday.

The new 60,000 seat stadium will be home for the Brisbane Lions and Cricket Australia matches after the Games.

The venues for the Brisbane Olympics has been revealed. Image: Archipelago Architects/Getty

On stage, the Premier admitted his broken “no new stadium” promise, saying he would take responsibility.

“By being honest and copping that on the chin. I have to own that, and I will, and I am sorry, and it’s my decision, and I accept that decision,” he said.

Upgrading the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre “politically easier” than building a stadium at Victoria Park, Mr Crisafulli said.

“I wasn’t prepared to take the politically easy option when the truth is that wouldn’t be the benefit of the state. And so yeah, I accept it absolutely, but it’s the right call,” he said.

Mr Crisafulli said a slew of major stadium, arena and infrastructure developments are “fully funded”.

Multiple Olympic and Paralympic sports organisations will move their headquarters to the National Aquatics Centre.

Mr Crisafulli fantasised about the ageing Gabba hosting a “swan song” of Australian cricket gold medals at the Games.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli promised his government would not build a new stadium for the Olympics. Picture: NewsWire / Tertius Pickard

Upgrading the Gabba was untenable, he said, meaning Victoria Park was required.

“It became a choice between spending billions on temporary facilities and temporary stands that delivered no legacy, or securing the future of AFL in cricket at a new home,” he said.

“The time has come to just get on with it.”

Brisbane Tennis Centre will see a new 3000-seat court next to Pat Rafter Arena and 12 additional new courts.

Soccer will be hosted in Cairns and Townsville. Sailing will also be “co-hosted” in Townsville.

The hockey will be played at an upgraded centre on the Gold Coast, not at the Brisbane headquarters of Queensland Rugby Union as had been floated.

But the major decision for the state government has been which of four stadiums would host the track and field and the opening and closing ceremonies. The ousted Labor premier, Steven Miles, was a fan of having the athletics and the ceremonies in different stadiums.

Options on the table included a new 70,000 seat, $3.4bn stadium at Victoria Park. This would sit atop the Inner City Bypass road, within walking distance of three train stations, but during his election campaign, Mr Crisafulli promised no new stadiums would be built.

Former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk claimed Olympic hosting honours, the debate and planning around venues had been a rigmarole. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

A $2.7bn rebuild of the Gabba had been floated; this would have forced the closure of a school, had residents up in arms and would have left major professional sporting teams without a home ground.

A third option was $1.6bn temporary upgrades to the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. This plan would only accommodate 40,000 seats, shutting out thousands of people from attending the major events of the Games and likely pricing out locals.

The most expensive option for the main stadium was a new $6bn, 60,000-seat stadium at Brisbane’s Northshore, with a hotel and 2500-apartment athlete’s village. With accompanying retail and restaurants, this would have attracted considerable private investment.

More to come

Originally published as Queensland Premier David Crisafulli reveals venues for 2032 Brisbane Olympics