'We've done it, Brisbane!': Australian city awarded 2032 Olympics

The announcement in Tokyo set off celebrations in Brisbane

Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Olympics on Wednesday, triggering wild celebrations and fireworks as it became the third Australian city to host the Summer Games after Melbourne and Sydney.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach confirmed the widely expected result after delegates voted 72 to five with three abstentions at the IOC session in Tokyo.

The announcement was greeted by cheers from the Australian delegates in Tokyo, while in Brisbane fireworks lit up the skies and crowds who had gathered for the vote went wild.

"I'm so excited -- I have so much pride for my state, for my people. Never in my lifetime did I think that this was going to happen," said Queensland state premier Anna Palaszczuk.

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.

Rhys Cush, 24, one of those in the masked-up crowd, said he hoped to work at the 2032 Olympics and also attend as a spectator.

Lauren Granger, 42, said she hoped the 2032 Olympics would recreate the buzz of Sydney's successful 2000 Games. 

"That was 20 years ago so we'd love to be able to relive that in 2032 with our kids."

Home to about 2.3 million people and bookended by shimmering coastal sands, Brisbane is seen as more laid-back and less cosmopolitan than Australia's sprawling southern cities.

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

"It's a historic day not just for Brisbane and Queensland, but for the entire country," said Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The decision means the IOC has now secured hosts for the next three Summer Olympics, with Paris holding the event in 2024 and Los Angeles organising the 2028 Games.

For the 2024 Games, Bach complained the process had "produced too many losers", after Rome, Hamburg and Budapest all pulled out of the running.

The vote took place two days before the troubled Tokyo Olympics, which will start behind closed doors on Friday after a year's delay because of the pandemic.

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