Revealing Annastacia Palaszczuk claim says it all before Brisbane Olympics call

Brisbane has been officially announced as the host city for the 2032 Olympics — after a revealing comment by the Queensland Premier.

It’s official – the Olympics are coming back Down Under.

Brisbane has been confirmed as the host city for the 2032 Games after a vote of the International Olympic Committee members on Wednesday afternoon.

The Queensland capital was a raging favourite to win hosting rights after the IOC anointed it as the preferred bidder earlier this year. Brisbane received 72 off the 77 valid votes.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk jumped out of her seat when Brisbane was given the green light and Prime Minister Scott Morrison punched the air in his office back home, wearing a wide smile.

The South East Queensland delegation made its final pitch – which included presentations by Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates, Morrison and Palaszczuk – shortly before the vote.

Palaszczuk spruiked Queensland’s infrastructure, sporting spirit, long-term strategic planning and financial capabilities as reasons why Brisbane was the best choice as host.

She invoked Ash Barty’s recent Wimbledon win and talked about how “sport unites us and provides a pathway to acceptance”, before boasting “Queensland has the nation’s biggest share of swimming pools” and raving about the weather in the Sunshine State.

Palaszczuk said it was “an honour to represent Queensland everyday but especially today” as she talked up her state, but one line stood out.

“We are seeing how sport unites us in the co-operation of all levels of government and all sides of politics working together to achieve this Olympic dream,” she said during the final pitch.

It seems the Olympics can do what Covid-19 can’t. Just three weeks ago, Palaszczuk slapped down Morrison and the Federal government when the Prime Minister said Australians under 60 were now eligible to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca.

Recently, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has taken digs at NSW counterpart Gladys Berejiklian over their states’ respective handling of fresh coronavirus outbreaks.

Finding a way out of a pandemic isn’t enough to build bridges between all areas of government, but Olympics hosting rights are.

After the vote went Brisbane’s way, an ecstatic Palaszczuk again alluded to putting differences aside no matter where you stood on the political spectrum to get the pitch over the line.

“Never in my lifetime did I think this was going to happen,” Palaszczuk said. “We’ve done it Queensland, we’ve done it Brisbane!

“We work best when we work together.”

And the winner is …

When the floor was opened up to questions from IOC members before the final vote, the Queensland delegation was asked about its commitment to putting on “climate positive Games” — which members agreed was an admirable goal to strive for.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said climate sustainability is “a passion we share as a city and a region, a state and indeed a nation”.

“Right from the beginning we wanted these to be a sustainable Games,” he said. “As I mentioned in my presentation, we would be the first host city to contractually agree to a climate positive Games.

“We’re now turning our mind to the exciting opportunities, or legacy benefits in the environmental (sphere).”

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner played an integral role in the bid.

The increasing hesitancy from cities around the world to host such an expensive mega-event will show how big a gamble the Brisbane bid is taking when the Tokyo Olympics begin, with events mainly take place in empty stadiums.

Recent Olympics have been hit by controversy, cost blowouts and coronavirus chaos but the residents of Brisbane look ready to welcome the event with open arms.

In other cities, a bid to host an event of such magnitude might prompt demonstrations, or at the very least vigorous public debate. Yet residents of Brisbane greeted the news with enthusiasm, as hordes of people gathered in the city to celebrate Wednesday’s announcement.

The countdown begins.

Qatar had also been in the running to host the 2032 Olympics and there was a long-shot joint bid between South and North Korea.

Australia has already hosted the Olympics twice, in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000, widely considered one of the most successful Games in recent history.

Venues for the Brisbane Olympics would be spread across Brisbane, Gold Coast — which hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games — and Sunshine Coast.

There are hopes the Olympics will boost Brisbane’s international profile, making it more attractive to tourists who tend to use it as a jumping-off point for attractions like the Great Barrier Reef.

About 85 per cent of venues are already built in and around Brisbane, reducing the risk of a budget blowout on new infrastructure that may go unused after the Olympics — a problem that has plagued host cities in the past.

The IOC is chipping in $AUD2.5 billion, and with ticket sales and sponsorship expected to cover the rest, Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates has predicted the event would break even.