2032 venues announced:
UQ experts weigh in

The Queensland Government has delivered the highly anticipated final announcement of Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic venues.

A new 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park will be the centrepiece, with a major new development at the RNA Showgrounds and a new National Aquatic Centre at Centenary Pool also on the cards.

After much debate, these decisions were reached following a review conducted by an independent panel. But how will it shape Brisbane’s future as a global city – and what could it mean for the legacy of the 2032 Games?

UQ experts and alumni leaders weigh in.

Watch the announcement:

Dr Andrew Liveris AO
President, 2032 Organising Committee; UQ alum (BEng '75, HonDSc '05)

The Games should fit the region, not the region fit the Games, and this infrastructure plan has the long-term best interests of all Queenslanders in mind, while delivering a global stage for the Games that will make all Aussies proud.

This plan will see Queenslanders get the best of the venues, and the Games will showcase the best of Queensland to the world.

A world-class city needs a world-class stadium – and Queensland will finally get what it deserves, along with a permanent swimming and aquatics facility, a significantly upgraded tennis venue, and several indoor venues across south-east Queensland.

Similarly, the regions will continue to play an important role in the Games. For instance, the Toowoomba Showground upgrade provides the best location to host Equestrian events from an operational perspective, while also offering an idyllic backdrop, showcasing the best of our local, natural beauty to international audiences.

The Organising Committee, with its sport federation partners can and will work with this plan and we encourage other stakeholders to do the same. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also supportive of moving forward with delivery. As with any Venue Master Plan for Games, there are always nuances to work through and we look forward to receiving the detailed plans for each venue from the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA).

We will move swiftly to make operational assessments and to align our Venue Master Plan and sports program, ready for endorsement from the IOC, IPC and international sport federations.

Delivering world-class fields of play that provide an optimal performance environment for athletes remains a key focus for Brisbane 2032. Keeping the international federations involved in planning and delivery will help deliver this outcome.

We will also look to ensure the detailed venue plans deliver a safe, secure and accessible environment for all participants and give us the best chance for commercial success, considering the Brisbane 2032 is self-funded.

We’re pleased to see a conscious focus to ensure accessible infrastructure is delivered through this plan, including the Government’s commitment to deliver a para sport facility at Chandler, improving community sport facilities on offer for people with disabilities. Accessibility and connectivity of these venues will be critical to creating an inclusive environment during both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

We have been handed a gift to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032 – an event that will attract billions of viewers, millions of visitors, deliver generational economic and social benefits, and secure legacies for grassroots communities through to elite athletes.

The time for talking has passed, let’s put the plan into place.

Professor Bruce Abernethy AM
Executive Director, UQ Office of 2032 Games Engagement

Whichever way you look at it, the independent authority responsible for conducting the 100 Day Review into venues for the 2032 Games had an unenviable task. The need to balance legacy, cost and metropolitan-regional considerations inevitably meant dealing with imperfect solutions and formulating recommendations that could not possibly please everyone, government included.

The recommendation – accepted by government – of a new main stadium at Victoria Park seems to be a sensible one that will leave Brisbane post-2032 with a piece of legacy infrastructure it needs. This is the second independent review to recommend Victoria Park (Barrambin) as the main stadium location. Barrambin has been a meeting place for peoples from across Southeast Queensland for tens of thousands of years; providing a new reason to gather there would continue that cultural tradition.

Supporters of Australia’s most historically successful sport, Swimming, will be delighted with the decision to also support the development of a National Aquatic Centre. Although, opting to publicly fund a national aquatic centre does re-introduce the risk of a ‘white elephant’ unless there is a significant re-organisation of the way the sport goes about its management of high-performance pathways. Similarly, opting to move more sports out of South-East Queensland to the regions is laudable and will be well-received but may raise some concerns about cost escalation, given the organisational complexity it adds and the infrastructure duplication it will necessitate.

All in all, this is a good plan and the launching of this definitive venues plan is an extraordinarily important step in the state’s preparation for 2032. It is clearly time to now push ahead with its implementation. Left a little unclear at the moment is the ongoing status of the previously developed Legacy Strategy, Elevate 2042, and how its transformative themes related to the advancement of accessibility and First Nations peoples will be operationally reflected in the key projects that have been announced.

Associate Professor Emma Beckman
UQ School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences; International Classifier in Para athletics

Brisbane 2032 is a catalyst for what could be a game changing time for para athletes and people with disabilities more broadly in Australia over the next few decades. I was particularly interested in the plans for Swimming and Athletics venues given they make up over 50% of the medals on offer at the Paralympic Games.

Today’s announcement didn’t discuss detail or key factors around accessibility of these proposed sites but we know that accessibility is more than just ramps and lifts — much work now needs to be done on making sure we can be proud of these venues for our athletes, our spectators and our volunteers. 

I think the venues that have been announced will provide a fantastic platform for our para athletes to shine on the world stage — but long after the Paralympics are over, we need to ask questions on how these venues will be used to support sport and physical activity for people with disabilities in the community. It won’t just be about getting them through the front door but staffing them with sustainable programs and having expertise and collaborative spaces for education, health and sport sectors to connect. It’s only this coordination that will allow the next generation of people in Australia with a disability to lead healthy, active lives.

Professor Ali Cheshmehzangi
Head of the UQ School of Architecture, Design and Planning

The announcement of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic venues in Brisbane marks a defining moment in the city’s journey toward a future built on purpose, innovation and connectivity. More than just a selection of sites for the Games, this shows a commitment to shaping Brisbane into a world-class city with lasting benefits for its people.

These decisions are rooted in long-term urban planning, ensuring that every action taken today helps create a city that prospers well beyond 2032. The infrastructure being developed will not only support a global sporting event but also enhance Brisbane’s social cohesion, strengthen its transport systems and create a more liveable city for future generations.

With a precinct-based vision at its core, this plan will strengthen regional, inter-city and intra-city connectivity, unlocking opportunities for economic growth and urban transformation. Mass-transit enhancements and purpose-led placemaking will redefine how people move, gather and experience the city. These venues will do more than host the Games — they will shape Brisbane’s future, revitalising key areas, advancing health and sports and setting new urban excellence standards.

This is Brisbane’s chance to create a lasting legacy, inspiring its people and the world with a city built to thrive long after 2032. We look forward to being part of this win-win-win plan for the city and our region.

Associate Professor Judith Mair
UQ School of Business; expert on events and tourism impacts and legacy

The announcement from the Queensland Government that Victoria Park will be redeveloped to host a new stadium for the 2032 Olympics is a win for those who have been arguing that Brisbane needs a top tier stadium to become a globally competitive host for future mega and major sporting events, and to enjoy the economic, social and tourism benefits that will flow on from this. These include new jobs and a boost to local businesses as well as new infrastructure and amenities for Brisbane residents, such as the new National Aquatics Centre to be created at the revitalised Centenary Pool, and for those living in the regions.

But it won’t happen without controversy – there is already significant opposition to this development, on what is currently one of the biggest green areas in the city, and its cost will put more pressure on the funding envelope of $7 billion for the Games. The development of a brand-new stadium also runs counter to the intent of the IOC’s ‘New Norm’ sustainability initiative, which was designed to relieve Olympic host cities of the burden of having to invest in significant new infrastructure to host the Games. The decision may have been made, but it won’t be plain sailing to implement it.