The head of the Australian Olympic Committee, John Coates, said the Gold Coast has a key role to play in south-east Queensland's bid for the 2032 Olympic Games after re-joining the region's Council of Mayors.
Gold Coast Council has voted to return to the local government advocacy group after a seven-year hiatus, bolstering its hosting rights push.
"It's got so much to offer and I'm very pleased to see they've come on board," Mr Coates said.
"It has existing venues and that's a massive priority for the IOC (International Olympic Committee) these days.
"While we haven't finally settled on all of the best locations for all of the Olympic and Paralympic venues, obviously there will be many based on the Gold Coast.
"It's very important that the Mayor of the Gold Coast be part of the team."
Proven hosting record
After hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Gold Coast is already home to many of the sporting and accommodation facilities needed to host Olympic and Paralympic games.
The city's sporting credentials are expected to be further boosted ahead of the postponed Tokyo Games as a training centre for Australian teams.
"For many of them, Queensland is looking more and more attractive as a lead into Tokyo too — rather than travelling to Europe or preparing in other prefectures in Japan," Mr Coates said.
"Sports such as surfing on the beach would just be a wonderful promotion for the Olympic movement — more importantly for Gold Coast and south-east Queensland."
Hefty price tag
Re-joining the SEQ Council of Mayors comes with a price-tag of more than $280,000, but Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said it would help ensure the city attracted its 'fair share' of funding.
"The moving forward of the 2032 bid for Olympics, my opinion on that, is it is an infrastructure play for south-east Queensland," he said.
"We've got to be at the table to make sure that the priorities on the Gold Coast — whether it be heavy rail to the airport, light rail, the second M1, the Coomera bypass, and other infrastructure — is not left behind.
"If you're not at the table, it's very easy to carve it up and become more Brisbane-centric, and as you know the Premier said this is more of a Queensland games."
SEQ Council of Mayors chair and Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, said the Gold Coast's involvement strengthened the organisation's lobbying powers.
"The City of Gold Coast is the second-largest council in Queensland, so having them back in the tent will bring a massive boost to our Commonwealth and State advocacy efforts and delivery of region-shaping projects," he said.
"More than ever, south-east Queensland councils will need to stand strong together and secure the support needed from the state and federal governments to get our businesses and communities back on their feet.
"When the time is right, we believe the SEQ City Deal and a proposal for the 2032 Olympic Games will play an important role in the state's long-term tourism and economic recovery."
