Queensland Premier Steven Miles announced that plans to demolish and rebuilt the Gabba, Brisbane’s iconic cricket ground as centrepiece for the 2032 Olympics have been scrapped, and a review panel’s recommendation to build a new stadium in the City’s parklands, for the event, has been rejected.
Instead, the existing Suncorp stadium will be used to host the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies.
Graham Quirk, Brisbane’s former Lord Mayor headed up a 2-month long review and its recommendations were handed to Premier Miles just after the elections at the weekend (16th March 2024)
The review, recommended, a new 55,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park, instead of redeveloping the Gabba, which was rejected.
“I know that I said I’d do what the Quirk review recommended, but I cannot support the option they have landed on,” said Premier Miles.
Quirk claims that the cost to build a new stadium would only be marginally more than rebuilding the Gabba which, after the rebuild would still not meet the standards of a top tier stadium.
International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates, who helped bring the games to Brisbane, proposed that the Suncorp Stadium be used for the opening and closing ceremonies, and that track and field events take place at out of town venue QSAC Stadium, to avoid cost blowouts for host cities, under what he described as the ‘new norm’ for the Olympics.
Despite the review led by Graham Quirk concluding that consequential transport and logistics issues would mean the QSAC Stadium option did not represent value for money, Premier Miles has accepted John Coates recommendations.