Brisbane has been officially announced as host city for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.
On the day that the delayed 2020 Games began in Tokyo, with the early group matches of the football and softball competitions, the International Olympic Committee confirmed the Australian city, which hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games, will stage the Olympics for the first time.
Despite the IOC insisting ahead of the vote that it was not simply a one-horse race, Brisbane was the only realistic contender.
It means the Olympics and Paralympics will return to Australia for the first time since 2000, when the Games took place in Sydney. Before that, the country also hosted the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.
“It’s a historic day not just for Brisbane and Queensland, but for the entire country,” said Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
“Only global cities can secure the Olympic Games, so this is fitting recognition for Brisbane’s standing across our region and the world.”
The 2024 Olympics will be held in Paris, with the 2028 Games already awarded to Los Angeles.
