Australia to build new 2032 Olympic stadium and demolish Gabba

SYDNEY: Australia will build a 63,000-seat stadium for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, officials said Tuesday as they confirmed the storied “Gabba” cricket ground would be demolished after the event.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli detailed a slew of Olympic upgrades that included the new Brisbane Stadium in the heart of the city and an aquatic centre that could host 25,000 fans. “Finally, Queensland has a plan. The time has come to just get on with it. And get on with it we will,” Crisafulli told reporters.

He said the new stadium would replace the aging Brisbane Cricket Ground -- nicknamed the “Gabba” for its Woolloongabba location -- once the Games were over. “The vision our government has beyond the Games also includes the Gabba coming down to make way for urban renewal,” Crisafulli said.

“Wouldn´t it be amazing to see the Australian cricket team win gold at an Olympic final? The Gabba´s swan song.” Queensland Cricket said the Gabba had been a “wonderful venue for cricket for many years”, but faced a string of “well documented” challenges.

Opened in 1895, the pace-friendly Gabba cricket pitches have earned a sinister reputation among touring sides over the years. The Queensland capital was awarded the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics in July 2021, returning the Games to Australia for a third time after Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000.

Two years ago, the state´s then centre-left Labor government announced plans to expand the Gabba cricket ground and create a new 17,000-seat indoor stadium for the Games. Crisafulli scrapped those plans on Tuesday, saying Australia would have wasted “billions” on temporary facilities that “delivered no legacy”.

The 63,000-seat stadium was billed as a “world class” venue that would also host other major sporting events in the future including cricket. Temporary seating would boost the capacity of a new national aquatic centre to 25,000, the state government said, hosting swimming, diving, water polo and other sports.

The main athletes´ village would be built nearby at the existing Brisbane Showgrounds, while two smaller villages would be located on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Officials also announced a series of upgrades to smaller venues such as the Queensland Tennis Centre and Gold Coast Hockey Centre. Although official costs are yet to be released, Australia has previously set aside around US$4 billion for Games infrastructure.