Virus-weary Australia Cheers Prospect Of Brisbane Olympics
Zeeshan Mehtab Published February 25, 2021 | 09:10 AM
Brisbane, Australia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Feb, 2021 ) :Australians hailed Brisbane's newly minted status as frontrunner to host the 2032 Olympics Thursday as a symbol of hope after a year of pandemic gloom.
Locals welcomed news that the International Olympic Committee had given the sun-kissed city of two million people preferred bidder status, with no rivals currently in the hunt.
"It is an exciting day," said Prime Minister Scott Morrison, acknowledging "we've still got a long way to go." The IOC announcement does not mean Brisbane is guaranteed to get the games, and there is said to be interest from other cities, but it is now the hot favourite.
"I think it is great for the economy and to put us on the world map," 25-year-old Gold Coast resident and public relations agent Eliza Elliott told AFP.
Queensland state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said victory would help the region recover from the coronavirus pandemic, which has decimated the vital local tourist industry.
Overseas travellers have been mostly barred from entering largely Covid-free Australia for the last year.
"It would bring huge economic benefit and jobs as part of our economic recovery as we come out of Covid," she told ABC radio.
"Most importantly, it gives us hope, it gives us something to look forward to. 2032 may be out in the distance -- but (it's) that firm light at the end of the tunnel." Sports-mad Australia has hosted the Olympics twice, in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.
Brisbane and the nearby Gold Coast already have extensive sporting infrastructure and Palaszczuk said the bid would be "practical and pragmatic", without the need to build stadiums that will go unused after the Games.
"We already have 85 percent of the venues at the moment -- it's a new norm, which means it's a game changer," she said.
Some local residents expressed concern the games would add to pressure on transportation and other infrastructure in the fast-growing region.
Kristen Oxenford, 25, a professional netballer, said having an Olympics in the region would give a big boost to local sports.
"Having all the facilities in Queensland to be able to use for their training in the future will be a huge boost to our sporting industry," she said.
Sport Australia chief executive Rob Dalton agreed, noting that sports participation rates among young people had taken a hit during the pandemic.
"Things have been tough, but we've said all along that sport will play a prominent role in lifting the nation's energy and spirits again," he said.
"This would be a beautiful beacon on the hill for all Australians to look towards," added Australian Sports Commission chairwoman Josephine Sukkar.
Games organisers are trialling a new dialogue-based bid system for 2032 after cities shied away from the previous competitive process, wary of soaring costs and being lumbered with white elephant stadiums.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
Earthquake jolts Karachi
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
More Stories From Sports
-
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
19 minutes ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
28 minutes ago -
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
28 minutes ago -
Watford hire Cleverley as permanent boss
45 minutes ago -
Karachi, Lahore, Multan win matches of National Women’s Cricket Tournament
1 hour ago -
No communication gap among players, asserts Babar Azam
1 hour ago
-
Bracewell looks ahead to Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan
1 hour ago -
Bolt named ICC Men’s T20 WC 2024 ambassador
2 hours ago -
Kewell's Yokohama beat Ulsan to reach Asian Champions League final
3 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results
4 hours ago -
Advisor Sports hands over Rs500,000 to prominent Martial Art Athlete Irfan Mehsud
4 hours ago -
Muhammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan ruled out of T20I series against New Zealand
4 hours ago