Ali's Column: The big Olympic dream

The announcement of South East Queensland’s successful bid to host the Olympics in 2032 provides an extraordinary opportunity for our region and for our future athletes.

It was an honour to attend the official announcement in Brisbane along with Mayor Paul Antonio, surrounded by supporters in green and gold celebrating the news.

Whilst it will be wonderful to have Olympic events on our doorstep in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, which is the current plan for 2032, how incredible would it be for Toowoomba to host an Olympic event right here in the Garden City? 

The tourism and economic opportunities in the lead-up, during the event and afterwards, would ensure the Toowoomba name becomes internationally recognised.  

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our region. 

To make this happen, the hard work for Toowoomba starts now, as we need to prove that the Garden City has the capability to host an Olympic sport. 

TSBE, in partnership with the Toowoomba Regional Council, will be undertaking an in-depth analysis into the region’s capability to host an Olympic event. 

The report, which will be conducted over the next 6 months, will highlight the best sport for our community to advocate for.

The next step will be building world-class facilities that meet Olympic standards and hosting lead-up international events to convince the international body associated with our chosen sport that the Olympic event should be held here in Toowoomba.  

This is the process for Toowoomba to become an Olympic City. 

It won’t be easy, but it is possible, and we need to dream big. 

This is history in the making and I’m so excited that we have the chance to be part of it.

By Ali Davenport, TSBE CEO