The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded this Wednesday, at the end of its executive committee, the status of preferential candidacy to the Australian city of Brisbane for the organization of the 2032 Olympic Games. “The commission (known as future host) of the IOC recommended that the Executive Committee start a targeted dialogue with Brisbane and the Australian Olympic Committee for the organization of the Olympic Games-2032.
The executive committee unanimously accepted this recommendation, ”IOC President Thomas Bach told a press conference.
"More detailed discussions will now begin with Brisbane," Bach continued, not giving a timetable for the next step in this process.
The host city of the 2032 Olympics could be designated during the IOC session scheduled just before the Tokyo Olympics (23 July-8 August), next July.
The Australian bid is articulated around the cities of Brisbane and Gold Coast, on the east coast of the country, which have the enormous advantage of having already existing sports infrastructures, a strong point in the eyes of the IOC determined to reduce the amount - -disproportionate in recent years as in London for the 2012 Olympics, Sochi (Russia) for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Tokyo due to the postponement of one year due to the coronavirus pandemic - Olympic bills.
Third time for Australia?
Gold Coast organized the Commonwealth Games in 2018, while Brisbane, already a candidate for the organization of the 1992 Olympics, claims 21 mobilizable sports venues.
Australia's bid also enjoys the backing of John Coates, President of the Australian Olympic Committee and influential IOC Vice-President.
Australia has already hosted the Olympics twice, in 1956 in Melbourne and in 2000 in Sydney.
In addition to the Australian candidacy, the IOC has recorded "the interest of a number of parties", assured Thomas Bach, without quantifying or identifying them.
"It is not a decision against the other candidatures, it is a decision in favor of a candidacy", insisted the boss of the IOC.
Germany with the region of North Rhine-Westphalia has expressed its interest in the organization of the 2032 Olympics, but has not finally entered into discussions with the IOC.
Qatar, India and Indonesia were also reportedly in the running.
The awarding of the Olympics-2032 is the first to take place according to an election method adopted in June 2019 to counter the disaffection of cities to host the Olympic event and reduce application fees.
"Not a concluded deal"
Kristin Kloster Aasen
For the 2024 Olympics, the IOC had thus seen Rome, Hamburg and Budapest successively withdraw their candidacies, leaving only two cities still in the running, Paris and Los Angeles, to the chagrin of Thomas Bach who then regretted that the candidacy process "produced too many losers ”.
In September 2017, the IOC carried out a double allocation with the 2024 Olympics returning to Paris and those of 2028 to Los Angeles.
The IOC has since set up a so-called “future host” commission whose mission is to “study, arouse and monitor interest in future editions of the Olympic Games”.
It is chaired by the Norwegian Kristin Kloster Aasen and its nine members, including the Canadian Richard Pound, are not part of the IOC Executive Board, nor are they nationals of a country of an interested party.
The award of the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane is "not a done deal," however warned Kristin Kloster Aasen.
Before recognizing the qualities of the Australian dossier: "It is a very advanced project, which has been in place for a long time and which enjoys the support of the authorities (...) There are many criteria which correspond to what we are waiting, ”she concluded.
"This is an important step," said John Coates, but "it is obvious to us that we must continue to work hard", he insisted.
Read also
Seiko Hashimoto, politician and Olympic medalist, takes the reins of the Tokyo Olympics
