Rebuilt Gabba and new Brisbane Live arena the key developments for 2032 Olympic Games hosting

July 22, 2021

Nigel Benton

Aquatics / Events / Sport / Venues /

With Brisbane’s successful bid to host the XXXV Olympiad having emphasised its plans to avoid the overspending that have plagued previous Olympics by making use of existing facilities, the rebuilding of the Gabba and the new Brisbane Live arena looking set to be the key developments for 2032 Games hosting.

The Brisbane 2032 Masterplan includes 32 venues within South-East Queensland for the 28 Olympic sports, located in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

With the bid team having planned a Games that will break-even, Brisbane’s initial proposal pitched as many as seven new venues being built, with the potential to reduce to just two new venues. As Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk advised “we already have 85% of the venues at the moment. It’s a new norm, which means it’s a game changer.”

With initial documents having considered several options for the main Games venue, a re-built 50,000-capacity Gabba will now host athletics events and the opening and closing ceremonies, while the planned new Brisbane Live development, to be located above the city’s Roma Street Station, will host swimming competition.

First proposed by AEG Ogden (now ASM Global) in 2016, the Brisbane Live development, referred to as the Brisbane Arena in bid documents, is a $2 billion development that plans to make use of previously unused space over Roma Street station (which links to railway networks connecting with much of Queensland) and includes 17,000-seat indoor arena and a 4,000-capacity live music venue, along with cinemas, restaurants and bars.

In Olympics mode, it would have a temporary 50 metre event pool installed, as was done at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena for the 2007 FINA World Swimming Championships.

Having previously expressed some frustrations at the slow pace of the Queensland Government’s approval process for the development, Harvey Lister, Chairman and Chief Executive of ASM Global (Asia Pacific), was today delighted that, with Brisbane’s Games hosting confirmed, “the concept for the new venue is now locked in”, noting that “there will be technical issues and contracts to agree with Games delivery authority but we can now look forward to a developing a venue that will serve not only for the Olympics but for the city of Brisbane as it expands into the future.”

Lister also noted that Gary Thomas, ASM Global (Asia Pacific)’s Manager Design and Technical - International Projects, had been involved with the temporary pool project for Melbourne’s 2007 FINA World Championships.

Among other Games venues the Brisbane Indoor Sports Centre will host basketball, a new 10,000-capacity Chandler Indoor Sports Centre would replace the existing Chandler Arena to host gymnastics while the traditional home of Queensland Rugby, Ballymore, currently being redeveloped would host hockey venue.

The main athletes' village will be built on prime Brisbane waterfront real estate at Hamilton, with smaller accommodation options on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Kooralbyn, near the rowing venue.

Confident that the hosting will not see a repeat of mistakes made at past Olympics, Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner told the ABC today “one of the things in other (host) cities that often creates cost pressure is an accelerated timeframe.

"We have 11 years to prepare for the Games and to be ready - that's a really strong position to be in."

Not only will Brisbane’s Olympics expand to the entire south-east Queensland, football will also be played at Cairns and Townsville in North Queensland as well as Sydney and Melbourne.

Planned 2032 Olympic venues and their status:

Brisbane

The Gabba (rebuild, 50,000 capacity) - Athletics, Ceremonies
Brisbane Arena (new, 15,000) - Swimming, Water Polo
Brisbane Aquatic Centre (existing, 4,300) - Diving, Artistic Swimming, Water Polo
South Bank Culture Forecourt (temporary, 4,000) - Archery
Brisbane Indoor Sports Centre (new) - Basketball
South Bank Piazza (existing, 4,500) - 3x3 Basketball
Anna Meares Velodrome (existing, 5,000) - Track Cycling, BMX racing
Victoria Park (temporary, 5,000/25,000) - Freestyle BMX, Cross Country Equestrian
Brisbane Showgrounds (existing, 15,000) - Equestrian
Suncorp Stadium (existing, 52,500) - Rugby Sevens, Football (Finals)
Chandler Indoor Sports Centre (rebuild, 10,000) - Gymnastics
Ballymore Stadium (upgrade, 10,000) - Hockey
Brisbane International Shooting Centre (existing, 2,000) - Shooting
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (existing, 6,500) - Table Tennis, Fencing, Taekwondo, Badminton
Royal Queensland Golf Club (existing, 15,000 - Golf
Redland Whitewater Centre (new, 8,000) - Slalom Canoe
Brisbane Entertainment Centre (existing, 11,000) - Handball
Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre (new) - Boxing
Ipswich Stadium (under construction, 10,000) - Modern pentathlon
Lake Wyaralong (existing) - Rowing, Sprint Canoe
Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron (existing, 10,000) - Sailing
Queensland Tennis Centre (existing, 6,000) - Tennis

Gold Coast

Broadbeach Park Stadium (temporary, 12,000) - Beach Volleyball
Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast (existing, 27,400) - Football (Preliminaries)
Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre (existing, 7,500) - Judo, Wrestling
Broadwater Parklands (temporary 5,000) - Triathlon, Marathon Swim
Coomera Indoor Sports Centre (existing, 11,000) - Volleyball
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (existing, 6,000) - Weightlifting, Volleyball

Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast Stadium (upgrade, 16,500) - Football (Preliminaries)
Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre (new, 6,000) - Basketball (Preliminaries)
Alexandra Headland (temporary, 5,000) - Road Cycling, Race Walking, Kiteboarding, Keelboat Sailing
Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Park (existing, 10,000) - Mountain Biking
Redeveloped Sunshine Coast Stadium

Other Locations

Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville (existing, 25,000) - Football (Preliminaries)
Barlow Park, Cairns (upgrade) - Football (Preliminaries)
Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba (upgrade) - Football (Preliminaries)
Sydney Football Stadium, NSW (under construction, 45,000) - Football
AAMI Park, Melbourne (existing, 30,050) - Football

Images: Concepts for Brisbane 2032 venues, the Brisbane Live/Arena in swimming mode (top) and its exterior (middle) and the exterior of a redeveloped Gabba (below). Credit: Queensland Government.

About the author

Nigel Benton

Co-founder/Publisher, Australasian Leisure Management

Born in the English county of Dorset, Nigel Benton is the co-founder and Publisher of Australasian Leisure Management, Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific’s only magazine for professionals in all areas of the leisure industry and the www.ausleisure.com.au website - the go to news resource for industry leaders and professionals.

With a long-term commitment to communicating all that is best about the leisure industry (aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues) his career has been defined by an ability to develop and implement industry communications.

Starting his career working in heritage visitor attractions and then adventure travel in Africa and the Middle East, an interest in writing about his experiences led to his change of career into magazine journalism and publishing.

In addition to publishing, Nigel speaks on marketing communications at a range of industry events.

He was made a Life Member of the World Leisure and Recreation Association in 2006 and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (London).

In 2020, he launched the new Asian Leisure Business website.

As of October 2024, he was inducted into the Australian Fitness Awards Roll of Honour at the 2024 AUSactive National Awards.

Among a range of published works and features, his comments on a Blog (blogspot) from 2007 to 2011, when this website went live in its current form, may be interesting to reflect back on.

His philosophy on life is to be kind to all and to indulge those that you love.

His passions include family, Newcastle United and motorcycles (especially British ones) as well, until February 2025 when she left us, caring a little pug named Stella.

Click here to connect with him via LinkedIn.