A big step forward for Olympic and Paralympic Games

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson – who has played a leading role in advancing the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games candidature since the idea was first mooted by the Council of Mayors South East Queensland nearly six years ago – is delighted with the announcement overnight by the International Olympic Committee of the preferred host for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mayor Jamieson – who on 30 April 2015 along with then Lord Mayor Graham Quirk were the first government representatives to meet with IOC President Thomas Bach to discuss the potential to host the games in south east Queensland – said it had been a rollercoaster journey to get to this point, but we are not over the line yet.

“When IOC President Bach and Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates met with Graham Quirk and myself as the delegates of the Council of Mayors (SEQ) in Sydney on 30 April 2015, he was incredibly impressed with the SEQ story and the power of Mayors and councils working together for the advancement of their communities,” Mayor Jamieson said.

“Bringing the federal and state governments to the table in 2019 has only served to add to our momentum and the inherent value of what can be realised when the three tiers of government work together productively is what has helped achieve the milestone we have reached today.

“As we now push our way through the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games can become a powerful tool in south east Queensland’s economic resurgence and deliver an incredible boost to our tourism industry when it needs it the most - along with many other industries that will be important contributors to the Games supply chain.

Image: Mayor Mark Jamieson meeting with Thomas Bach and John Coates.