Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson has welcomed the Queensland Government’s decision to support the Council of Mayors South East Queensland (COMSEQ) proposal for a potential 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Mayor Jamieson said the decision by the Queensland Government to back a 2032 bid would provide an unheralded opportunity for the region, the State and the nation.
“Needless to say – as someone who has been on this journey for nearly five years – I am delighted that we now have a firm commitment by the Queensland Government to work alongside the Federal Government and the SEQ Mayors to make this bid happen,” Mayor Jamieson said.
“The only way a potential Olympic and Paralympic Games bid can be successful is if the three tiers of government are locked in with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) as a collaborative partnership.
“So today’s decision by the Queensland Government is a positive step forward and augurs well for the future”.
Mayor Jamieson is a member of the Olympic Candidature Leadership Group (OCLG) along with the Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, AOC President John Coates, Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development Kate Jones, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Member for Fairfax Ted O’Brien.
The OCLG will now meet on Wednesday this week (December 11) to make a joint decision on whether to proceed with a proposal for the South East Queensland 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Mayor Jamieson said the Queensland Government’s decision reinforced the extensive work undertaken by the COMSEQ released in February this year, which demonstrated the significant infrastructure legacy and economic benefits that could be realised for the Sunshine Coast, SEQ and the State by successfully bidding for and staging the Games.
“Working together, the Mayors of South East Queensland oversaw a detailed Olympic and Paralympic feasibility study, supported by the region’s first long-term, strategic transport plan,” Mayor Jamieson said.
“The key finding from this work was pretty straight forward – a SEQ Games could be successful, if we get our transport infrastructure right first.
“COMSEQ has invested significant funding, resources and political capital to champion the idea of a regional Olympic and Paralympic Games, with this investment now paying off through bipartisan support across all tiers of government for this bold and ambitious plan.
“We started this journey with one simple promise – that a Games bid can only proceed if it will demonstrably deliver a more liveable region for our residents, with better transport connectivity and a strong economic, cultural and social legacy.
“From my personal perspective, my commitment to supporting the Games bid has been driven by a single objective – to secure the necessary and long overdue transport and digital infrastructure investment needed for our Sunshine Coast.
“As Mayors of SEQ, we have always kept faith with our commitment and we now look forward to working with the other tiers of government, the AOC and the APC in taking a compelling bid forward that secures this important legacy for our region and our residents”.
