Gold Coast wishlist for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympics wishlist

The Gold Coast is bidding for an ambitious amount of the 2032 Olympics program in a new submission to the organisers. See what the city is pushing for

The Gold Coast has widened its wish list for Olympic sports on the back of a planned major upgrade of the Carrara sports precinct, a new submission reveals.

The expanded wishlist is revealed in part of a submission by Gold Coast City to the 100-day Olympic review which had remained confidential until it was leaked to the Bulletin.

The City says the venue’s inclusion allows for sports proposed in the precinct which include judo, Olympics wrestling and Paralympics Boccia.

But an opportunity existed to include other events like cricket given Big Bash and women’s cricket fixtures had been played at Carrara. Athletics is also mentioned.

“It seems incongruous to have an existing stadium with a capacity of 25,000 spectators and a proven track record hosting national and international events including the GC2018 Athletics competition and opening and closing ceremonies not being utilised for the Games,” the City said.

An opportunity existed for RACV Royal Pines, near the precinct, to be used for alternative sports, training and accommodation.

Golf could be staged at the internationally recognised course, council said.

Plans were revealed for Carrara to become a “world class sporting precinct” with future upgrades to include a new outdoor stadium, a potential hotel and pedestrian bridges, the Bulletin revealed earlier this month.

City councillors ticked off a 20-year masterplan, including stunning graphics. That plan will upgrade the major work in the lead-up before the 2018 Commonwealth Games and put the city in a strategic position to host more 2032 Olympic sports.

The Carrara Sport and Leisure centre back when it reached "practical completion" to host the squash, badminton and table tennis for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. An improved centre is part of a bid for hosting more 2032 Olympic and Paralympic sports by the Gold Coast.

The upgrades showed:

• Additional indoor and outdoor courts along with playing fields.

• More high performance training, administration and health facilities.

• Opportunities for accommodation on the site including hotels by the lake.

• Improved transport with pedestrian bridges crossing the Nerang River and Nerang-Broadbeach Road.

• A new outdoor stadium on the second field next to the main stadium.

• Removal of the old basketball stadium to make way for new facilities.

Mayor Tom Tate called opportunities for growth at the precinct “very exciting” as it positioned the city for 2032.

A council submission to an Olympic venue review says it can save organisers $5bn by providing sites here rather than in Brisbane.

In its original submission, the City asked the review to look at using the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre for swimming, Gold Coast Hockey Centre, golf course locations, Regatta Waters Lake and BMX and skateboarding facilities.

Jake McLeod on the course at Royal Pines for the Australian PGA. The Gold Coast city review to the Olympic organising committee had originally asked for it to include golf. Picture Peter Wallis

2032 GAMES AND THE GC SO FAR...

The 2024 State of the Games report showed the Gold Coast hosting eight Olympic sports and six Paralympic sports in 2032. But it is likely to pick up other events like surfing.

The City is lobbying for swimming requiring roofing on the Southport Aquatic Centre. The other possible venue upgrade would be permanent northern seating at Carrara Stadium.

Existing Gold Coast venues for 2032 first proposed are:

• Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre, Carrara for Olympic judo and wrestling, and boccia for the Paralympics with spectator capacity of 7500 with temporary seating overlay;

• Gold Coast Stadium for football (soccer) preliminaries with spectator capacity of 27,400;

• Coomera Indoor Sports Centre for Olympic volleyball and Paralympic wheelchair rugby with ­capacity of 11,000 with ­temporary seating overlay;

• The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre at Broadbeach for Olympic volleyball preliminaries and weightlifting, and sitting volleyball and powerlifting for the Paralympics for up to 6000.

Temporary 2032 venues are:

• A Broadbeach Park Stadium for beach volleyball and Paralympic five-a-side football for 12,000 spectators;

• Southport Broadwater Parklands for Olympic triathlon, aquatics (swimming marathon) and Paralympic triathlon for 5000.

Non-competition 2032 venue are:

• Olympic and Paralympic Village (a satellite village on the Gold Coast with a main village located in Brisbane) at Robina for 2600 athletes and officials;

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Originally published as Gold Coast wishlist for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympics wishlist