Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate reveals Olympic Games 100-day review proposal

Mayor Tom Tate wants the Gold Coast to host more sports and athletes during the 2032 Olympic Games and he wants the city’s hotels to put them up.

Mayor Tom Tate wants the Gold Coast to host more sports and athletes during the 2032 Olympic Games and he wants the city’s hotels to put them up.

Mr Tate has made a submission to the state government’s 100-day review of plans for Olympic and Paralympic Games infrastructure and insists his ideas would save up to $5bn.

Initially appearing to suggest he wanted to scrap a mooted athlete’s village at Robina and solely use hotels, Mr Tate later clarified his position, saying resorts would be able to take on the overflow of competitors if we had more than the currently proposed nine sports.

He said he does not want to build a second athlete’s village.

Mr Tate said “rebuilding goodwill starts now” after years of the Games being a political football and delays around infrastructure planning.

He said the city has the ability and capacity to host cricket, golf, surfing, hockey and more, including swimming.

“Without community goodwill, these games will never be a success. Rebuilding goodwill starts with this submission,” he said.

“Success will be measured by building an engaged and responsive community. If we fail to deliver in that regard, no gold medals or world records will be enough to convince Australians that their investment in the Games was a sound decision.”

A new view of what a proposed 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Village will look like at Robina.

The Gold Coast has been earmarked as the site of a satellite athletes village hosting more than 2500 competitors.

A site next to Robina Town Centre has been proposed as the location for the multi-tower development, however no work has occurred in the past four years.

City leaders backed retaining the Robina project.

Mudgeeraba councillor Glenn Tozer said it would have long-term benefits and it would need to stand alongside private accommodation rather than be replaced by it.

“First, foregoing the economic impact of those 3000 rooms for tourists and visitors, in favour of fully-catered athletes, seems like a missed opportunity for many local businesses who might benefit from tourist bookings and their related expenditure,” he said.

“Second, the logistics of keeping elite athletes from various sports separate from the general public during competition might be fraught with challenge, and additional cost, in a selection of hotels in different locations, rather than a combined purpose built solution.

“Finally, significant and necessary long-term upgrades to interchanges 79 and 82 would be a welcome transport legacy for people who visit Robina, like many Division 9 residents, if the Robina Athletes Village goes ahead as planned.

“Any action that risks that pressure on the new LNP state government to deliver an important transport legacy like those interchanges between Robina and Mudgeeraba would probably be a disaster for our area.”

The Gold Coast’s resorts previously hosted significant numbers of athletes during the pandemic when the AFL and NRL were relocated to Queensland at the height of lockdowns.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The review, which was an election commitment by the LNP, is looking at the venues and infrastructure rollout for the Games.

It is expected to come back with its results during the first half of the year.

Mr Tate’s 32-page submission also pitches putting a roof over the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre at Southport to host swimming.

The roof, which he said would be similar to that of the shade sails atop the Marina Mirage Shopping Centre, would cost around $150m and would also allow the venue to have 10,000 seats.

A pitch by the Gold Coast Turf Club to host Olympic equestrian events was not included in council’s submission but will be made separately.

Mr Tate said the public can comment on the review before its January 10 deadline.

A Crisafulli Government spokeswoman said the review’s results would inform the future of the event’s infrastructure.

“The 100-day review is currently underway with Queenslanders invited to provide their ideas and feedback for consideration by the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority,” she said.

“The Authority will report back with an implementation plan with venues, transport athlete villages and Games precincts.”

Feedback can be given at www.gamesreview.com.au.

Originally published as Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate reveals Olympic Games 100-day review proposal