Olympics LIVE: Matildas flying high over Kiwis

Brisbane will become the third Australian city to host the Olympic Games after the International Olympic Commitee approved their bid for 2032.

The IOC’s official announcement in Tokyo tonight confirmed months of speculation that Brisbane was the frontrunner to hold the 2032 Games, beating out the likes of Qatar, Hungary and Korea.

It marks the third time the Olympics will travel down under after first arriving on Aussie shores in Melbourne in 1956 before returning with spectacular success in Sydney in 2000.

A final presentation was given by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Australian delegation this evening before the decision was formally announced by the IOC.

“The International Olympics Committee has the honour to announce that the games of the 35^th Olympiad are awarded to Brisbane, Australia,” IOC president Thomas Bach officially announced in Tokyo.

AOC President John Coates says Brisbane, Queensland and all Australians stand ready to deliver a Games that will repay the trust shown by Members that Australia can deliver the world’s greatest sporting event.

“This is a very proud day for Australia, make no mistake. I thank the IOC Members for their confidence. Brisbane 2032 is genuinely committed to serving the ideals of the Olympic movement,” he said.

“The Olympic Games in Brisbane will be in the most diligent, grateful and enthusiastic hands. And I make this commitment to the athletes of the world – we will provide you with an unforgettable experience.

“Of course, many of these athletes are the children of the world right now. Young people who will be glued to their television sets over the next two weeks as the great champions of the world compete here in Tokyo. Many Olympic dreams will be created here in Tokyo, thanks to the generosity of the people of Japan and the commitment of today’s Olympians.

“Australia will welcome the world in 2032. South-East Queensland is Australia’s fasting growing region, offering a friendly and culturally diverse people with a passion for sport, first class sporting facilities, excellent transport and a commitment to put the world’s athletes at the centre of everything we do.”

President of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Hashimoto Seiko added: “My heartfelt congratulations go to the people of Brisbane and Australia.

“Over the past year, the world’s sporting community has faced the multiple challenges of COVID-19; however, under the steadfast leadership of IOC President Thomas BACH, the Olympic movement has made steady progress, culminating in today’s decision in favour of Brisbane.

“The Tokyo 2020 Games are the first postponed Games in Olympic history—a journey that has not been without challenges. Yet I am confident that the Olympic movement will continue to gain momentum as it moves from Tokyo to Paris, from Paris to Los Angeles, and finally on to Brisbane, carrying with it the legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games.”

Earlier today, Australian Olympic Committee boss Matt Carroll outlined the IOC’s new process for host city selection which saw Brisbane long-rumoured to hold the 2032 edition of the Games.

“It’s a totally new system, there’s not a bidding system anymore. In Olympic-speak, it’s targeted dialogue. That’s what the Brisbane candidature has been in for several months now,” Carroll told 2GB.

“It’s a presentation by the Premier, the Lord Mayor, (Sports) Minister (Richard) Colbeck from the Federal Government, and the Prime Minister will be beamed in live to the IOC session. It’s important for the IOC members to see the three levels of government committed to the Games, because the summer Games are the biggest thing for the Olympic movement around the world.”

Olympic gold medalist Sally Pearson was buoyed by the prospect of a home Olympics and how it could inspire a whole new generation of Aussie athletes.

“I kind of wish I was 20 years younger but it’s just spectacular,” Pearson said.

“What it could do for a whole new generation of athletes and people who maybe were never thinking they could never compete at a home Olympics are now like ‘oh I want to make sure I am fighting fit and ready to compete at those Olympic Games’.”