‘Dumbfounded’: IOC meeting sought over 2032 venue
Laine Clark |
Pressure is mounting on Olympic heavyweights to justify the construction of Brisbane 2032’s main stadium on a significant Indigenous site during a landmark visit.
An urgent meeting with the International Olympic Committee has been sought by an advocacy group after claims the 2032 centrepiece venue defies the Games’ new principles.
The IOC hierarchy has gathered in Brisbane to receive a 2032 Games progress report at a three-day meeting concluding on Thursday, touring sites around southeast Queensland.
It marks the first time IOC delegates have visited Australia since Brisbane was unveiled as host almost four years ago.
Advocacy group Save Victoria Park hope to make the most of the rare visit, writing to the IOC seeking a meeting as they look to take them to task over the main stadium’s location.
Victoria Park is expected to become the Brisbane Games hub, with a 63,000-seat main stadium and a nearby national aquatic centre set to be built.
The advocacy group is raising money for a legal challenge exploring the impact on the heritage status and environment at the park, which is celebrating its 150th year.
The group has argued Olympic venue construction would destroy valuable green space at a site of significance to First Nations communities.
“How have we ended up in a position where we are going to destroy a large section of our last remaining inner-city green space?” group spokesperson Rose O’Hagan told AAP.
“It dumbfounds us that in 2025 the IOC would think this is acceptable.
“It is something you would expect in the ’70s or ’80s.”
Brisbane’s 2032 venue blueprint was finally unveiled in March after a 100-day review guided by the Olympics’ “new norm” principles aimed at avoiding massive cost blowouts that have plagued past Games.
Host cities are now encouraged to cut spending by reducing new infrastructure and using existing or temporary venues.
Ms O’Hagan claimed the Victoria Park stadium construction was not in keeping with the Olympic brief and threatened to destroy Brisbane’s “green lungs”.
“We are not anti-Olympics but we don’t understand how this lines up with anything in our host contract and original bid,” she said.
“We are supposed to be maximising existing infrastructure.”
The clock is ticking for the Games after the state government finally confirmed its venue blueprint more than 1300 days after Brisbane was named host.
The Queensland government moved to help ensure infrastructure is built on time by passing a bill that will guarantee 2032 Olympic sites will be exempt from planning laws.
They include the Environmental Protection, Queensland Heritage and Nature Conservation Acts, sparking more outrage from the advocacy group.
Ms O’Hagan claimed Brisbane had the least amount of inner-city green space in any Australian capital and the group was preparing a legal challenge to protect it.
“We have’t preserved our green space as other cities have,” she said.
“On the back of an Olympic Games they are promoting as being sustainable we are going to lose a huge amount of what is remaining.”
Victoria Park originally featured 130 hectares, she said.
“Now it has 64. After this who knows how much we are going to have – it is going to decimate it.
“We are looking at everything we can do to protect this park.”
Meanwhile, IOC heavyweights including outgoing president Thomas Bach visited the Gold Coast on Wednesday as part of their landmark trip.
IOC president-elect Kirsty Coventry also joined 2032 organisers and the co-ordination commission on the glitter strip where local mayor Tom Tate declared the Gold Coast was “Games ready”.
AAP
