During a meeting held in Tokyo Tuesday with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison discussed the prospects of a 2032 Olympic bid underway from Queensland State and Brisbane.
The PM was in the capital for a diplomatic mission with the Japanese government and Bach was visiting Japan to inspect preparations for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that are now set to start in July 2021. This marked the first overseas trip for both leaders since the start of the pandemic.
“Prime Minister Morrison and President Thomas Bach had a very good meeting this morning and they talked about the important role of sport during the Coronavirus and the role it could play in the recovery from the virus,” IOC Vice President John Coates said in a video message posted to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) Twitter page.
Coates is also President of the AOC and was accompanying Bach in his role as Chair of the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Committee.
He added “the Prime Minister reiterated the full support of the Australian Government for Queensland and Brisbane’s candidature for the 2032 Olympic Games, the full support.”
Morrison promised the full backing of his government along with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk when the Brisbane-centered bid officially launched in January. Palaszczuk and a bid delegation visited Bach at IOC headquarters in Lausanne last year, and the project’s early start immediately made Australia the bid to beat for 2032.
The IOC typically elects hosts seven years ahead of the Games, but under new rules the site selection could occur even earlier – whenever the Executive Board feels the timing is right.
Brisbane was on the fast-track, hoping to unveil full plans last July in Tokyo, but Palaszczuk put the bid on hold in May to instead focus all efforts on containing the raging pandemic that had shut down many nations in the world.
Palaszczuk was empowered to restart the bid last month when she was re-elected Premier.
Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP indicated his full support for the Queensland candidature. pic.twitter.com/2100AwUWVa
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) November 17, 2020
The IOC has indicated that the bid process will slow down amid the pandemic and the impacts to the sport schedule that will see the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games now staged only six months apart. The selection process for the earlier 2030 Winter Games edition still remains in its infancy.
The delay has opened a window for other National Olympic Committees to join the 2032 race and try to catch up. Along with Australia, there has been solid interest from Indonesia, India, Germany and jointly from North and South Korea. Other nations including Qatar, Turkey and China have also considered bidding.
The IOC reported earlier this year that as many as 15 regions have expressed interest in hosting a future Olympic Games and have become part of “ongoing discussions” with the organization.
Paris is set to host the next Summer Games in 2024 followed by Los Angeles in 2028. Milan-Cortina in Italy will stage the winter edition in 2026.
