The Aussie Big Build: Brisbane Going Live For 2032 Olympics

OLYMPIC REFRESH: Suncorp Stadium, which holds 52,500 people, will see a renovation for the 2032 Olympic games in Brisbane, Queensland, funded by the federal government of Australia. (Getty Images)

(This special spotlight feature was part of the 2024 September issue of VenuesNow Magazine)

The Olympics coming to any city brings with it a boost like no other for the local tourism economy and, years ahead of the 17 days of sport, provides a catalyst for regeneration and rebuilding to ensure the host location has the facilities and infrastructure to put on a truly global event.

Brisbane is the host city for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games having been awarded the games in 2021 by the International Olympic Committee. It came third in the bidding for the 1992 Olympics (that went to Barcelona) and the entire city is now focused as one on the multiple opportunities and possibilities that 2032 will bring.

The Queensland government is putting $7.1 billion into its wider Olympics infrastructure program, including bridges and public transport and is forecasting the games will bring $8.1 billion in benefits to the state, including a $3.1 billion tourism boost.

A major part of the preparations will be building the new 17,000-capacity Brisbane Live arena in the heart of the city, which ASM Global (APAC) is retained under an Early Operator Engagement Deed with the Government.

A number of the company’s other buildings in Australia’s third-largest city, with its population of 2.7 million, will be designated Olympic venues, including Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Suncorp Stadium and Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

ASM Global has rich and long experience in the Olympics, with venues it operates having been used in the Olympics in Sydney in 2000 as well as in Beijing in 2008, with the company acting as an advisor to the Chinese government on the games.

“They call it The Big Build,” says Harvey Lister, ASM Global (APAC)’s chairman and CEO, about the overhaul Brisbane will experience over the next eight years. “It is a very exciting development.”

The company has been engaged by the state of Queensland to build the new venue as well as refurbish the existing Suncorp Stadium. “The new arena is principally being funded by the federal government of Australia,” says Lister.

The goal is to have it operational at least one year, possibly two, ahead of the Olympics themselves, with a series of test events designed to show the state-of-the-art capabilities of the new city centre venue.

Its central location will mean, alongside the new public transport infrastructure that is happening in the city ahead of the games, people will be able to get to and leave the venue easily, making it a prime venue for Brisbane.

The Olympics in general and Brisbane Live will be critical in reframing and rebranding the city as a major tourist destination as well as a major international touring destination.

Brisbane Live was originally proposed a decade ago as a replacement for the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which had originally opened in 1986.

Peter Loxton, ASM Global’s Asia Pacific Chief Operating Officer, says, “We had explained that the city was going to have to spend a lot of money on the existing venue [to regenerate it], so we should build a new arena – but we needed one in the Brisbane city centre and it was the Olympics that secured it. It will greatly enhance the nighttime economy of the city.”

When it opens, it will be the second-largest arena in Australia. “From a venue perspective, it is a fantastic outcome,” says Loxton. “Our advice is always to build what you need for the next 30 years, not just what you need for the few weeks of the games.”

It is the first new arena in Australia since 2012 when the in Perth opened. It is in Brisbane’s precinct, right beside Roma Street station. The area will also be regenerated as part of the wider Cross River Rail development project that involves a new 10.2km rail line and four new underground stations to open ahead of the Olympics.

The proposed venue site is currently council maintenance yards that are underutilized. “It is a great and bold decision to put it in the middle of so many competing uses for a piece of land like that,” says Loxton. “Brisbane needs a downtown and large state-of-the-art arena.”

Another ASM Global venue, the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium (known colloquially as The Cauldron) is getting a $404 million refurbishment ahead of the Olympics while BCEC will also go through a major modernization.

Collectively, these new developments and redevelopments will significantly raise the profile of Brisbane, as a sports and entertainment destination, and ASM Global wants to ensure everything is world class.

“It is going to change the reputation of Brisbane to become a true world city,” argues Loxton.

“Nothing is bigger than the Olympics,” says Lister of the anticipated and multifaceted benefits it will bring to Brisbane, significantly elevating the city’s global standing during the games and for decades after. “Once an Olympic city, always an Olympic city