A poll by YouGov Galaxy for the Courier Mail has revealed that more than half of the millennials surveyed support a 2032 Olympic bid from Queensland in Australia.
According to the survey, of those responding across Queensland 45 percent support a bid to host the Games while only 27 percent are opposed and 16 percent are undecided. When counting only those between the ages of 18 and 34, the number jumps to 55 percent that support a bid.
Those belonging to Generation X are less optimistic, with only 41 percent favouring a bid, but among baby boomers 46 percent support hosting an Olympic Games.
“That’s a very good result,” Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member John Coates said according to the Courier Mail, “This is before we have fully explained a bid to the public.”
“It is important they understand that the Games can be done in a very cost-effective way. The Tokyo Games (in 2020) will pay for itself and that’s the aim.”
Regional bid plans are now encouraged by the IOC as part of its Olympic Agenda 2020 reform package that recommends organizers use existing facilities instead of building new ones in order to reduce costs, risks and white elephant legacies.
Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner said “It’s encouraging that so many Queenslanders can already see the potential of a Games so early in our investigations.”
“Tourism supports thousands of jobs across the region and a southeast Queensland Olympic Games would showcase our state to millions of viewers across the world.”
In February, a 265-page feasibility report commissioned by the government concluded that an Olympic Games could be a catalyst to much-needed infrastructure projects in the region.
The operating cost for the Games is estimated at AUD $5.3 billion (USD $3.77 billion) which could be partially funded by a $1.7 billion cash and in-kind contribution from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and $2.7 billion in domestic revenue leaving a tax-funded deficit of about $900 million.
Feasibility Study Supports A Brisbane 2032 Olympic Bid That Could Cost AUD $5.3 Billion
Though federal elections in Australia are set to take place May 18, it is believed that no matter which party wins power, a bid will be supported.
Current Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said in the past that his government would willingly participate in and Olympic bid.
Australia has hosted the Games twice, in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.
The IOC is scheduled to elect a 2032 host in 2025. Tokyo is set to host the Games next year with Paris in line for 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.
Several other cities and countries have already expressed interest in bidding for the 2032 Games including Jakarta in Indonesia, Shanghai in China, Buenos Aires in Argentina, as well as Germany and Russia. Discussions around a joint North and South Korean bid have also caught the attention of the IOC.
