No panic over says International Olympic Committee executive Kirsty Coventy

Roll up your sleeves and be pragmatic, the International Olympic Committee tells Brisbane 2032 organisers as uncertainty surrounds venues.

Kirsty Coventry IOC executive. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

The International Olympic Committee executive member in charge of the Brisbane 2032 preparations, Kirsty Coventry has said there was “no reason to start panicking yet” about the uncertainty surrounding major Games venues.

Following the rejection of a recent infrastructure review by the state government, and ahead of this year’s state election which could cause further upheaval, there is major debate around the main Olympics stadium, the track and field venue and where the opening and closing ceremonies may be held.

But Ms Coventry said the infrastructure decisions and the Games venue masterplan were “for the local community to decide”.

Ms Coventry said she had “a fair bit of confidence” about Queensland and Australia’s governance, and planning timelines for big facilities.

“We are not tipping in right now or the foreseeable future, let’s wait, we have time, there is no reason to start panicking at this point,’’ she said, adding “For us, the messaging is really clear. The games need to fit within the region and, the Queensland government as the region government, the state government, the city government, they need to decide what’s best for them and for everyone that lives in their areas and the games will adapt and fit into that.”

Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris said that “procurement will start and ground will be turned” this year in regards to other indoor sports venues which had been accepted by the state government.

The IOC executive director Christophe Dubi said speculation about what happen in the future needs to be cast aside and he encouraged Australian officials to be “pragmatic”.

He said following a remote meeting of the Brisbane organisers and the IOC on Wednesday: “There is a lot of work to be done at the current time on various things like due diligence, let’s roll our sleeves do this work.’’

Mr Dubi praised the Brisbane officials for presenting a very “precise” presentation about all of the other topics.

Mr Liveris said he had updated the IOC officials in Lausanne with the development of a clear strategy and Games plan. He said this was “defining who we are as an organisation and our actions and milestones for the years ahead”, and said there would be a significant impact in hosting the games, including AUD 17 billion in economic and social benefits.

However he would not be drawn on the Games operating budget and the impact of changing venues would have on ticket revenue and commercial opportunities, citing “due diligence “to understand the ramifications to the delivery of the events.

Mr Liveris said his team was starting preliminary discussions with potential future sponsors.

As for the branding of Brisbane, the smallest host city of the Olympics in recent memory, Mr Liveris said “we are underselling ourselves “ and that hosting the Games would bring about global recognition. He mentioned how Brisbane was the home of “Bluey” the popular animated blue heeler dog series, and that Brisbane was being internationally recognised for its restaurants and way of life.