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Why those losing faith in the Brisbane Olympics should look to LA
The spark of optimism ignited when Brisbane won the bid to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021 has dwindled to a low-burning ember in recent weeks.
For some, Premier Steven Miles’ decision not to fall in line with former Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk’s recommendation to build a new stadium at Victoria Park has dashed hopes for a meaningful Olympics legacy and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to define the city.
Locals celebrated after Brisbane was announced as the host city of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.Credit: Albert Perez/Getty Images
But others have wondered if a new sporting arena is really the most important legacy to leave and whether other markers might define Brisbane for the next hundred years.
Before anyone reads that line and punches the screen, it is worth noting that Brisbane wouldn’t be the only Olympic city to look beyond sporting venues for legacy.
“One thing that’s unique about our bid is that we are not building any new [permanent venues] for the Olympic Games. We have all of our venues already in place [which means] we have the opportunity to do other projects.”
An LA2028 sign is seen in front of a blazing Olympic cauldron at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Credit: AP
That’s Los Angeles chief tourism officer Doane Liu. Before taking charge of the city’s tourism strategy seven years ago, Liu was former mayor Eric Garcetti’s deputy, helping oversee 15 departments and shape a vision for LA’s future over two terms.
He was also involved in the city’s 2028 Olympic Games bid.
“We’re using the Olympics to fast-track all sorts of infrastructure projects,” he says.
Most notably, the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project, the D Line Subway Extension to connect LA’s Downtown and the Westside, and the LAX Automated People Mover to connect travellers arriving to and from one of the busiest airports in the world.
The LA Games have presented authorities with an opportunity to repurpose existing sporting venues and improve transport across the city.Credit: Mario Tama
“We actually called it ’28 by 28′. We identified 28 major projects on LA’s metro that we want[ed] to complete before the Olympic Games,” Liu says.
Though the cost and timeline saw many of Garcetti’s 28 projects dropped, this week, metro and elected officials secured nearly $900 million in federal funding to support transportation and infrastructure projects ahead of the 2028 Games.
The biggest question mark now is who will pay for the 2700 buses needed to move the millions of spectators attending the Games. They are necessary but lack investment longevity.
There are similarities with Brisbane. Yet financial pressures haven’t dissuaded those close to the LA Games from a transit-based legacy.
“My biggest hope is having people leaving in 2028 and thinking of LA as the transit city of the future,” Liu says.
The historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will host its third Olympic Games in 2028.Credit: Alex Gallardo/AP
“I want everyone to think how easy it was to get around Los Angeles when they came to the Olympics. That’s something that we haven’t been able to say, right?”
LA28 chair Casey Wasserman backed this line, telling reporters he hoped those visiting LA during the Games would experience a “transportation system that connects the people and the communities of our city”.
LA can lean into this legacy because of the world-class venues they have – Crypto.com Arena, Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Rose Bowl stadium, among others.
Not to mention their experience: the city has hosted two Olympiads, eight Super Bowls, the World Series, NBA and WNBA championships, the Stanley Cup, the FIFA World Cup, NCAA championships, and more.
Athletes pose for the cameras after flag football, baseball, squash, cricket, softball and lacrosse were added to the Games schedule for 2028.Credit: Janie Barrett
(Cricket has not had the same fan base, but LA will still convert golf courses to cricket pitches for the Games.)
However, LA’s reputation has been tied to its notorious traffic and poor connectivity for too long. For the Californian city, bridging the gaps that have kept counties siloed and commuters glued to their steering wheels is the best legacy to leave.
“LA is so spread out but I hope people who come for the Games say, ‘Oh, we went to golf in Pacific Palisades and gymnastics in Downtown LA and soccer in Pasadena and we never took a single ride in the car.’ That’s my biggest hope,” Liu says.
The logistics of transport to and from QSAC for Brisbane’s week of track and field events have many hackles up. Aside from Quirk, who said it would be “extremely challenging and costly to facilitate”, sporting fans and public opponents shudder at the thought of thousands of spectators piling onto buses to and from Nathan for one of the Olympics’ major events.
But even seasoned hosts like LA will rely on this unglamorous mode. It is lukewarm consolation but means we’re not alone.
LA’s ambitious transit legacy has not been without hurdles and threats of crumbling.
With the Gabba rebuild and a new stadium at Victoria Park off the table, there are fresh doubts over infrastructure projects tied to Brisbane’s Olympics bid. South Bank, for example, is reconsidering the planned pivot to Woolloongabba.
People think there’s no room for error when it comes to Olympics planning but plenty have shot for the moon, landed, then fallen off its face, leaving a legacy of debt, underutilised infrastructure and worse social equity. The IOC has been purposeful about trying to avoid this for future host cities. That’s why Australian Olympic powerbroker John Coates has consistently pushed for the use of existing venues.
It’s a false dichotomy to say there would have been no losers, only winners, if Miles chose to follow the road that led to a new stadium at Victoria Park or a Gabba rebuild. The same logic applies to those who think we’ve just flushed all hope for an Olympic legacy or opportunity to define the city down the drain with QSAC.
It’s not so clear cut, and it never was.
correction
This article incorrectly referred to Los Angeles as California’s capital. It has been amended.