On to day five now of the fallout of Monday’s 2032 Games venue review, and key players in the organising of the event are set to meet for the first time this year. Ahead of that meeting, the man leading that group has given some sharp words.
Andrew Liveris, the president of the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee Board, which also features Premier Steven Miles and Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, has described the week’s events as “not a good look for any of us”.
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“We need to improve that look, I’m working on that,” he told journalists on his way to the meeting. “Obviously the timing is pretty interesting.”
Liveris said “this sort of activity is expected in the Olympics” suggesting people needed to “expect the unexpected”, and welcomed both Miles’ and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli’s commitment to the Games.
He insisted that with eight years to go, “we have time”, and said the government’s now-preferred option of athletics held at QSAC “can work”.
What about the review’s headline Victoria Park stadium call?
We don’t need, necessarily, a centrepiece new stadium. Should the city of Brisbane and state of Queensland and federal government decide on a new stadium? That’s for legacy reasons. Should they do that, and the taxpayer wants that, we will put on a brilliant Games, but we could put up brilliant games necessarily without that and that’s what the IOC [International Olympic Committee] said.