The Sunshine Coast will play an increasingly starring role – not only in hosting actual sporting events, but also providing key support services, including athlete accommodation – in what’s been dubbed “the Queensland Olympics” by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“2032 offers a golden opportunity to win gold in a business sense; we estimate an uplift of $8.6 billion in trade, 130,000 jobs and $20 billion in tourism – think about those numbers for a moment,” the Premier told businesspeople at a breakfast at Caloundra RSL.
“More than three billion people watched the Toyko Olympics, there were six billion engagements on official Olympic social media channels – that doesn’t count for the unofficial engagements. That’s a potential audience of billions who will discover the Sunshine Coast for the first time.
“Can you imagine what they’ll make of everything Sunshine Coast has to offer, including the beautiful mountains, our beaches, but of course, most importantly, our people.”
Mayor Mark Jamieson earlier reiterated an impressive list of 2032 Olympics sporting events already pencilled in to be hosted in the region, but added that businesses locally are also well-placed to provide the many services that support the global spectacle.
The opportunities include the provision of general supplies, as well as services like sports technology, allied health services, and nutrition services, as examples.
The decade leading up to the games will also provide opportunities to improve transport infrastructure, improve and build event infrastructure, and improve access to public spaces for people with disabilities.
Localised preparations will include developing the region’s arts and cultural offerings, utilising primary industries for education and research, and promotion of First Nations peoples’ culture and history of the Sunshine Coast.
“These are serious and momentous legacies for the Sunshine Coast – for businesses, the opportunity will be multiple, and I urge local operators to be thinking about this and to start planning now,” Mayor Jamieson said.
“New investment attractions to key locations in and around the games events, including the long-awaited expansion to the Sunshine Coast Stadium for football, an indoor sports centre at Kawana to host basketball, and the new world-class mountain bike centre at Parklands.”
Premier Palaszczuk and Mayor Jamieson were joined at the breakfast by Organising Committee Board for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOG) President Andrew Liveris, Olympic swimming medalists Liesl Jones and Duncan Armstrong, along with key local business people.
“For the Sunshine Coast Council, the objective has always been very clear: to utilise the games to secure long-overdue investment in road and transport infrastructure in our region, to ensure a legacy for our communities long into the future,” Mayor Jamieson said.
“This is our moment to seek vast improvements in major transportation and productivity for the Sunshine Coast and all of SEQ, and we’re looking forward to further detail from the state and federal governments into how and when that investment will occur.”
The Mayor added: “The Sunshine Coast will be the key delivery partner for Brisbane32 and we’re excited to host some significant Olympic events, including the marathon, race walking, the cycle road race, the cycling time trial, kiteboarding, football, basketball and mountain biking,” Mayor Jamieson reiterated.
“We’ll also host the Paralympic Games marathon and cycling events.
“Athletes and officials competing in Brisbane32 will also be accommodated at a new athletes village to be built in the Maroochydore City Centre, Australia’s newest and most contemporary city.”
Previous stories by Sunshine Coast News have also listed sailing as an event to be hosted locally.
Premier Palaszczuk noted that the Maroochydore athletes village would, “…accommodate up to 1400 athletes and officials, and provide up to 350 permanent homes after the games” which she described as “a wonderful legacy”.
The Premier is spending two days on the Sunshine Coast with OCOG board members.
She labeled the 2032 Olympics as an event for all Queenslanders.
“They don’t belong to me, they don’t belong to the government, and I’m sure everyone in this room knows, they don’t belong to Brisbane either,” she told breakfast attendees.
“I believe they’re then the Queensland Olympic Games, and I want all of Queensland to share in the wonderful opportunities that the Olympic Games will actually bring to our state.”
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