Toowoomba Equestrian Centre: Economic windfall predicted if venue gets funding for 2032 Olympic Games

A planned Toowoomba equestrian venue that is being considered for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics could inject millions every year into the city’s economy and fast-track generations of young talent to sporting greatness.

A new Toowoomba Equestrian Centre at the showgrounds capable of hosting Olympic events could deliver more than $12m to the city during the 2032 games, generate upwards of $5m a year outside of it and turn Australia into an equine sporting powerhouse.

That’s the view of economic experts and sporting bodies, who have continued to make the case for the TEQ’s inclusion in the Brisbane Olympics in eight years’ time.

The proposal, which is to be submitted into the new LNP government’s 100-day review of Olympic venues, would deliver for the Darling Downs a world-class facility able to host national championships and international events.

While the Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland plans to build the TEQ regardless of the Olympic outcome, chief executive Damon Phillips and consultants are preparing a “2032 overlay” to make it ready if the bid was successful.

This would see the already ambitious proposal expanded to include more seating and additional capacity.

Following the demise of an $80m plan to upgrade Clive Berghofer Stadium, the equestrian centre stands as Toowoomba’s last chance to be directly involved with the Olympics.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise’s Olympic strategy and legacy project manager Mark Mason said conservative estimates based on attendance figures from Paris 2024 put the direct financial impact of hosting equestrian events at about $12m.

Mark Mason of TSBE. Picture: Kevin Farmer

But this figure didn’t include the flow-on economic benefits that would come along with the games, including hospitality, tourism, accommodation, retail and transportation.

“This facility enhances the region’s existing sports tourism economy and has the added benefit of growing the supply chain required (feed, transportation, rider equipment etc) within the equestrian industry,” Mr Mason said.

“The ability for our region to leverage from the investment in to the TEC for Brisbane 2032 by attracting hotel accommodation investments, the construction of a satellite athletes village which will serve as housing as a significant piece of community legacy post-games.”

But equestrian sporting bodies are more excited for the TEQ’s potential both before and after the games, due to it filling a massive gap in the sport’s existing Queensland infrastructure.

The Sunshine State still doesn’t have an all-purpose horse sporting facility large enough to host major events.

This was highlighted by Queensland being forced to “host” the Equestrian Australia’s National Inter-school Championships in Tamworth — an event worth more than $1m on its own.

Ellie’s homegrown Olympic dream now a reality

National Working Equitation champion Ellie Stenzel with her six-year-old Connemara Costalota Tiggy Winkle at Toowoomba Showgrounds, Thursday, December 12, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Ellie Stenzel has dreamt of representing Australia at the Olympic Games since she was six and it has grown to become a singular goal in her life.

“I watched Australia in the 2012 Olympics, and I said to mum the Olympics are where I’d like to finish,” the rising equestrian star said.

Now the 16-year-old and hundreds of other junior Darling Downs athletes have joined the push to bring the world’s best to Toowoomba for the 2032 Brisbane Games.

Momentum is gathering around the push to make the proposed Toowoomba Equestrian Centre (TEQ) at the showgrounds an Olympic venue, with the project being submitted to the new LNP government’s 100-day review.

RASQ Indoor Equestrian Centre at Toowoomba Showgrounds, Thursday, December 12, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Ellie, who is heavily involved in the West Toowoomba Pony Club and is a junior national champion in working equitation (a non-Olympic sport but with overlapping skills), said competing at the games in the same arena where she learned the discipline would be magical.

“The idea of walking through those blocks against the world’s best, that is something every horse person would dream of,” she said.

While equestrian has junior pathways in Queensland, the lack of quality facilities means many aspiring athletes travel overseas to vie for Olympic qualification.

2024 Olympic silver medallist Christopher Burton grew up in Toowoomba and was once even part of the same pony club Ellie is in now, but moved to Great Britain to refine his skills to international standards.

This is something Ellie spoke about this month when she addressed delegates from Equestrian Australia, arguing a world-class facility like what is being proposed in the TEQ would deliver tomorrow’s crop of homegrown superstars.

“Most of our Olympic riders are living in Great Britain or Germany, because there are more competitions, and they have a higher standard of training, so they have more opportunities,” she said.

“I spoke (to EA officials) about the legacy that this amazing centre would leave.

“I’m just a tiny playing piece in this, but I’m representing regional riders and everyone in Toowoomba and surrounds who are pushing for this hard.

“Our Olympic dream starts with talent, then there’s the hard work and encompassing all that is the investment into facilities and world-class expertise.”

Equestrian Queensland chief executive Briston Toft, whose organisation is firmly behind the TEQ proposal, said Australia had the opportunity to become a horse sport powerhouse.

“Not only does it provide for the immediate need, but it also provides a pathway opportunity for athletes in development cycles to get expert tuition from around the world,” he said.

“EQ and EA want to bring more events to Toowoomba if this bid is successful, so it means we’ll be bidding for national championships and that opens the door.

“Our plan in the lead up to 2032 is that athletes don’t have to go overseas to meet the requirements — to Ellie’s point, it increases the field of opportunities for all athletes.”

Mr Toft said creating elite pathways through the TEQ would also help deliver Australia its first medal in dressage, a key discipline for juniors like Ellie.

“We’ve had excellent performances over successive Olympic campaigns in regards to eventing, but we’re seeking that drought-breaking dressage win where Europe and the Americans have the edge,” he said.

“This would allow us to deliver a high-performance program to ensure we can develop athletes.”

Why main stadium choice matters

The newly-elected LNP government’s choice of main stadium for the Brisbane Olympics could deliver equestrian events at the 2032 Games to Toowoomba.

The proposed TEQ at the showgrounds has been declared the “standout” option by the sport’s key bodies and the bid has drawn significant support in recent weeks from the city’s political and economic leaders.

PROPOSED: A new plan has been put forward by Equestrian Queensland and the Royal Agricultural Society Queensland to turn the Toowoomba Showgrounds into an equine centre of excellence.

With premier David Crisafulli ruling out the redevelopment of QSAC as the Olympic stadium, a plan mooted by predecessor Steven Miles, a revamp of the Gabba or a new $3bn venue at Victoria Park remain as the most prominent options.

Victoria Park has started to gather steam after former lord mayor Graham Quirk’s snap review earlier this year earmarked it as the venue that would deliver the best value for Queensland over the coming decades.

More recently, Cricket Australia has started lobbying the state government to build a new venue at Victoria Park after revealing that for the first time in 50 years Brisbane will not be hosting a Test match in 2026-27 due to uncertainty over the Olympic venue plan.

Victoria Park has been slated to share the equestrian events in 2032 with the RNA showgrounds.

But if the LNP was to select it over the Gabba, it would require all horse sports to potentially leave Brisbane, given the RNA cannot host all equestrian events, and International Olympic Committee rules dictate all events must be held close to where horses are being quarantined.

This would only raise the profile of the TEQ bid, which would see the showgrounds transformed into an world-class all-purpose horse sport arena capable of hosting international events.

Equestrian Queensland’s Mr Toft said Toowoomba should be the clear favourite among games organisers, especially if Victoria Park was given the green light.

“From a logistic perspective for equestrian, Toowoomba is the standout position and already has the support of us,” he said. “It actually is a very clear decision as to why Toowoomba would be the logical decision to host equestrian and para-equestrian in 2032.”