Brisbane Olympic bid delayed until 2032

“Brisbane is significantly inferior to Paris,” Olympic Committee vice president John Coates has said.

Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, IOC President Thomas Bach, and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo celebrate the decision in Lausanne, Switzerland. Picture; AP.

UPDATE: International Olympic Committee vice president John Coates said the planned 2028 Olympic bid by Brisbane and the southeast Queensland region would not have been competitive if up against either Paris or Los Angeles and the city has saved money, following an extraordinary Olympic decision to change bidding practices.

John Coates: “There are no losers”. Picture: AP

A decision early today by the Olympic session in Lausanne Switzerland formally approved a dual election for the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games at the vote in Lima later this year, which gifts the Games to the two remaining 2024 bidders, Paris and Los Angeles. This means the earliest other cities can host an Olympic Games will be 2032.

“It's a win-win-win,’’ hailed IOC president Thomas Bach, emphasising this was a “golden opportunity’’.

Mr Coates said: “There are no losers.”

In May, Mr Coates fought to hold on to his presidency of the Australian Olympic Committee and he strongly backed the Brisbane Games bid, but he warned of the impending double vote plans describing them as “an elegant solution’’ while cautioning about the legal issues facing the IOC.

But by June at an executive board meeting Mr Coates had more firmly supported the IOC plans, promulgated by Mr Bach, after the impediments of changing the Olympic Charter were found not to be required.

Mr Coates chaired this morning’s important IOC session, telling members that: “The internal view of our Legal Department is that no change of the Olympic Charter is required,” adding that outside advice was the same.

Cities such as Brisbane and the southeast of Queensland, as well as other countries like the Netherlands, Russia, Malaysia and Singapore which had flagged the possibility of bidding for the 2028 Olympic Games, will now have to move their plans back a further four years. Bids for the 2032 Olympics will be considered in around eight years time. Brisbane had been considering the 2028 Games, as well as the 2032 Games, given that some successful cities have had to implement successive bids.

Mr Coates told The Australian that the extra time may work in Brisbane’s favour to get facilities prepared.

“Realistically, Brisbane at this point is significantly inferior to Paris: Paris has got 92 per cent, and Los Angeles has got 100 per cent of the infrastructure, venues and village accommodation in place. If we had put up Brisbane for 2028 under the old system it would have cost $60 million to bid,’’ he said.

An important change to the bidding was also approved at Tuesday’s session, eliminating a two-year bidding process in favour of a more informal evaluation by IOC experts who will create a bidding shortlist of two or three cities. Those cities will then conduct a short one-year campaign to win the Games.

Coates said the changes would make it far cheaper for cities to bid, acknowledging that it may also open up the competition from other cities against Brisbane.

He said: “More cities will put up their hands, that’s going to be the case. These are risks but Brisbane will have more time to get ready.’’

Brisbane and the southeast region’s feasibility study will be completed late next year.