Brisbane confirmed as host for 2032 Olympics

Brisbane, selected to host the 2032 Olympics on Wednesday, was the inevitable winner of a city race run by the IOC to avoid rival bids.

The Games would go back to Australia 32 years after the popular 2000 Sydney Olympics. Melbourne hosted in 1956.

“We know what it takes to deliver a successful sport in Australia,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told International Olympic Committee voters in an 11-minute live video link from his office.

Brisbane follows 2028 host Los Angeles in achieving 11 years in preparation to host the Games. Paris will host in 2024.

The 2032 deal for the Australian east coast city came just months before a formal decision by IOC members at their meeting ahead of the Tokyo Games, which began on Friday.

The IOC gave Brisbane special negotiation rights in February. That decision blindsided Olympic officials in Qatar, Hungary and Germany with their stalled bidding plans.

Brisbane was the first winner in a new bidding format. This allows the IOC to contact potential candidates and select them unopposed before the mandatory seven-year advance required in Olympic competitions.

The streamlined process was designed to cut campaign costs, give the IOC more control and remove the risk of vote buying.

The Olympic events will be staged in the state of Queensland, including the Gold Coast, which hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games.