AustralianFan

Ahmedabad Plane Crash An Air India 787 aircraft bound for Gatwick has crashed and burned seconds after takeoff into a residential area of Ahmedabad. 232 passengers and 12 crew were onboard. Casualty numbers on the ground undetermined at this stage except that the plane crashed into accommodation for doctors. Air India Crash in Ahmedabad - ABC News Australia

2028 GAMES TRANSPORT UPDATE FROM LA METRO This update on LA Metro’s preparedness makes interesting reading. It’s also amazing the amount of public transport iinfrastructure which has been added to Los Angeles since LA 1984. MOBILITY CONCEPT PLAN Metrois going to meet the mobility demands of the 2028 Games while enhancing, growing and refining our transportation systems in the region. Our main goal for 2028 is to enable all ticketed spectators to travel to competition venues by public transit, walking or cycling. Over the long term, we seek to improve access, and create a core system that is faster, more reliable, safer and more connected. The Mobility Concept Plan shows you how we plan to make that happen. We are focusing on providing legacy and permanent benefits after the 2028 Games to encourage shift to sustainable transportation modes, improve safety, increase accessibility and improve customer experience. GAMES OPERATIONAL: GAMES ROUTE NETWORK A Games Route Network (GRN) is a network of roads that are designated for the use of Games vehicles traveling between official accommodation venues, competition venues, and other key noncompetition venues. Caltrans is committed to implementing a GRN to provide a safe, secure and efficient transportation network throughout the region during the 2028 Games. Dedicated lanes will be created for Games vehicles to travel between venues to be used by Games athletes, the media, officials, IOC members, spectators, workforce, and public transit. The GRN will enable the Games Family to move safely, quickly, and reliably between competition and non-competition venues within committed average travel times. MOVING SPECTATORS AND WORKFORCE: SUPPLEMENTAL BUS SYSTEM A Supplemental Bus System (SBS) is a temporary supplementary transit system created to augment the existing public transit system to ensure spectators and the workforce have efficient and reliable transit for travel to and from venues during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With an estimated one million extra trips per day during the Games, Metro is working with partners to expand the transit network to meet the unprecedented demand that will be placed on it. Metro is committed to making transportation for the Games as safe, efficient, inclusive and sustainable as possible, while also keeping our city and region moving for residents, businesses and freight throughout the Games. The SBS will link rail/busway stations and temporary park and ride sites to venues for both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. Accessible buses will be used to ensure everyone can get to the venues and enjoy the Games equally. Metro is committed to a zero or near zero emissions transportation system. The SBS is expected to be comprised of Zero Emissions Buses (ZEB) and Compressed Natural Gas buses (CNG) from Metro’s fleet and partner agencies. As the lead mobility service provider for the Games spectators and workforce, Metro will be the lead agency responsible for coordination, planning and operation of the SBS. 2028 GAMES: 28 PROJECTS TOTALLING $20 BILLION PROJECT STATUS 29% Completed 28% Under Construction 25% In Planning 18% In Design The Twenty-Eight by ’28 Initiative provides a clear vision of Metro’s priorities. Selected projects address regional needs, with a focus on transit solutions that would provide additional connectivity to major sports venues. The list of projects included some already slated for completion by 2028 and several complex mega projects that would require unprecedented acceleration. These projects represent a strategic and forward-thinking approach to ensure the success of the Games while concurrently fostering long-term benefits for the diverse communities of Los Angeles County. Other potential anticipated equity benefits include a reduction in single occupancy vehicle reliance, improved air quality and reduced household transportation costs. In March 2024, the Metro Board revised the project list by replacing projects that are not able to meet the 2028 Games timeline with projects/programs that align with Metro’s 2028 Mobility Concept Plan (MCP), and either have been completed since the initiative began or can be completed before the 2028 Games. Investments on this list are distributed countywide, demonstrating proactive regional coordination. LA METRO WILL DELIVER THE CLEANEST GAMES FOR TRANSPORTATION IN U.S. HISTORY When LA hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984, our region had no rail transit lines, commuter rail lines, or bus-only lanes. We now have a robust rail and bus transit network, including almost 50 miles of bus-only lanes. With our currently planned expansions to our network, we will have high-quality transit serving most of the major Games venues. In 2028, we anticipate significantly more Angelenos will choose public transit, walking, or rolling because it is easier and faster. We will have also made a significant expansion of our zero‑emissions fleet. Los Angeles will be a leading example of how to encourage long‑lasting mode shift to sustainable travel modes. With bus-only lanes, transit priority and micromobility options, public transit will be more time‑competitive than driving a passenger car on a wider range of trips. Shifting away from passenger cars is our chance to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and improve health—especially in Equity Focused Communities. This is our chance to reverse generations of inequitable development. Credit: LA Metro.net: “We’re On Track for the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games”

That’s good to know. Plenty of time before the Games for testing and to iron out any issues.

Yes it will be great next year when the LAX inter-terminal people movers also connect directly to the Metro Transit Center. Getting around to LA2028 venues from LAX is going to be a lot different and with better public transport mass people movement capability than in 1984, especially by rail. Long Awaited LAX/Metro Transit Center is now open - Secret Los Angeles.com

‘Game-changer’: Construction finishes on upgraded Exhibition station The Brisbane Times is reporting today that the newly upgraded Exhibition Train Station will only open for major events and it is if course close to the planned 2032 Olympic/Paralympic Athletes Village at the RNA Showgrounds. The Cross River Rail website states: “Year-round rail services to the RNA showgrounds will complement the ongoing redevelopment of the area as a new lifestyle precinct”. ABC News Australia is reporting 2029 is when ExhibitionStation opens all year round. I think ”2029” is a typo as surely it must be in 2026 when Cross River Rail opens. Whether there will be a further expansion for the massive Games crowds from the Olympic precinct at nearby Victoria Park, or if there will be a separate Brisbane Stadium events station built (unlikely?), remains to be seen. (photo above from Brisbane Times) (above three photos from ABC News Australia)

Athletes hail successful test of Sliding Centre and "beautiful track" ahead of Milano Cortina 2026 Finally. From 24 to 28 March 2025, the "Eugenio Monti" Sliding Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo was successfully tested for the first time. This venue will host the Olympic competitions of bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge in 2026. Sixty athletes from twelve nations across the three disciplines were involved in the "pre-homologation" period of testing the track, originally built in the 1920s and renovated for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The track is 1,730 metres long with 16 curves. Experts from the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and the International Luge Federation (FIL), along with athletes, coaches, and officials, tried the track for the first time with multiple test runs from different starting points. Italian Olympic skeleton athlete Mattia Gaspari, a native of Cortina, was the first one to race on the new track: "The Cortina track was rebuilt in just 300 days, and I think this is something everyone should be proud of. After many years, Italy now has its own track again.” American bobsleigh athlete Kaillie Humphries, a four-time Olympic medallist, and the first Olympic champion in women's monobob at Beijing 2022, shared the enthusiasm: "It is a historic place for bobsleigh and will be a great addition to the tour. It is a mix of old and new driving styles.” Credit: Olympics.com

Brisbanites. But the Games are now to be played at more venues than ever across Queensland with the revised delivery plan: Brisbane Gold Coast Sunshine Coast Cairns Mackay Maryborough Rockhampton Toowoomba Townsville Whitsundays

America’s National Football League invests heavily in Australian Sporting Market 3 June 2025 “We are very ambitious in our quest to try and get Flag Football into Brisbane 2032” “Flag Football is to American Football what Oztag is to rugby league — non-contact — and will have a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.” So the NFL is pushing hard for inclusion in 2032 following tge addition of Flag Football at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The NFL are also saying that: “ it started as a pilot of 10 schools on the Gold Coast to now having 500 schools around the country playing NFL Flag Football” “it’s one of the world’s fastest growing sports with over 20 million players across the works now, and “it is doubling its numbers in every market we are investing in.” In a statement by the Seven Network in Australia: an estimated 2.6 million peoole saw part of its NFL Super Bowl broadcast in February when the Philadelphia Eagles played against the Kansas City Chiefs, irs tv coverage was watched by 892,000, up 11% on 2024, the entire BFL season was watched by 4.7 million people in Australia. What is NFL Flag Football? Flag is the non-contact version of American Football where teams of five face-off wearing flag belts to replace the tackling, much like Oztag. The attacking team gets four attempts to advance the ball over the halfway line either by throwing the ball to a receiver or handing it off to a runner in a bid to reset the down (tag) count while the opposition defends. Failure to do so results in a turnover but if successful the attacking team will then have three more attempts to score by crossing the touch down line similar to scoring a try in rugby. Credit: ABC News Australia

Very nice Italia.

President-elect Kirsty Coventry warmly received by IOC staff at Olympic House Until the official IOC President handover ceremony on Olympic Day, 23 June 2025, Coventry will regularly visit Olympic House in Lausanne. The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s President-elect, Kirsty Coventry, was warmly welcomed by IOC President Thomas Bach, IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper and IOC staff at Olympic House in Lausanne on 7 April. When entering the building, the staff started a long and resounding round of applause for the President-elect. President Bach presented her with a bouquet of flowers. The entire staff joined the IOC President and President-elect for a group picture on the symbolic staircase of Olympic House. Coventry’s first visit to Olympic House as President-elect was ahead of the IOC Executive Board meeting on Wednesday, 9 April 2025. This is part of the three-month transition from President Bach to President-elect Coventry. Coventry is a double Olympic champion in swimming from Zimbabwe. She was elected as the 10th President of the IOC, and the first female President in IOC history, at the 144th IOC Session that was held in Costa Navarino, Greece, on 20 March 2025. Credit: Olympics.com

Excellent.

Brisbane 2032 moves forward as it draws inspiration for a transformative Olympic and Paralympic Games vision Credit: IOC Media Release In the wake of the first on-site visit by the IOC) Coordination Commission, the IOC have advised that BOCOG have just included a public survey to their extensive consultative process. The purpose of the survey is to help create “an inspiring vision” for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Interviews and workshops with some 1,000 stakeholders directly connected to the Games, including athletes, the sports movement and delivery partners, have already been taking place for a few weeks. Members of the Coordination Commission also contributed their insights in a dedicated session during the meetings. In the link above is more information on the Public Survey in which Australians and international fans alike are invited to share their views on what Brisbane 2032 should encompass. The survey is open until 20 June and can be accessed at: brisbane2032.org/vision. ”Across three days of meetings of the Coordination Commission, discussions covered topics such as governance, operations, venues, sport, finance and commercial planning. The programme also featured visits to further Games sites in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, community engagement activities, including a dinner with sports, community, political and business leaders from the region, and a reception at Queensland Parliament. In addition, the Commission members visited Victoria Park, where a much-needed new stadium will be built for the long-term use of some of the city’s most popular sports teams, and which will also be used for the Olympic Games.” “The Commission members were given an outline of key next steps in the Brisbane 2032 organisation. Following the successful conclusion of a 100-day independent review into Games infrastructure, the Queensland Government accepted more than 90 per cent of the recommendations to develop a sports venues delivery plan to benefit communities across the region.“ ”This will now be subject to technical assessments from the respective International Sports Federations, the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee to determine venue use at the Olympic Games.”

IOC President Thomas Bach backs Brisbane 2032 Venue Plan International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has given a strong endorsement to Brisbane’s revised venue strategy for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, describing it as a “high-quality” plan that will leave a lasting legacy for the city and its communities. Wrapping up a visit to Brisbane this week, Bach praised the new venue blueprint delivered by the Queensland Government following its 100-day review of preparations for the Games. The plan centres on a major sporting precinct in Brisbane’s inner north, with a new 60,000-seat stadium and aquatic centre to be built at Victoria Park - adjacent to a new athlete village at the Brisbane Showgrounds. Bach, who will conclude his tenure as IOC President in June, said the reworked approach showed “great speed and high quality” and aligned closely with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda and ‘New Norm’ reforms, aimed at reducing costs and maximising long-term benefits for host cities. Hailing Brisbane’s approach as an “investment in the future”, Bach stated “you speak about investments in the future of the city and the region. “If you have a stadium, which you need, if you have an aquatic centre, which you need and everybody appreciates, you cannot write this investment off to zero in 16 days.” Credit: https://www.ausleisure.com.au/news/ioc-president-thomas-bach-backs-brisbane-2032-venue-plan/

I think chances are pretty low that the Brisbane Organising Committee will apply to the IOC Sports Commission to include snooker in the 2032 Games. Snooker joins a longlist of international sport federations who have aleeady made representations to BOCOG to promote / push for the inclusion of their sports in the final 2032 Sport Programme.

Gabba Games Transformation Planning Process Begins Good to see this is underway. So, we may see Brisbane Live Arena as a a potential Games venue constructed on the Go Print site, given the private sector intetest in this. “The transformation of a 9ha inner-Brisbane site ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games has begun. The Queensland Government has called for registrations of interest by developers for the Gabba entertainment and housing precinct scheme, which will redevelop the former GoPrint site and The Gabba. A central plank of the Crisafulli Government’s 2032 Delivery Plan, the combined sites, 2km from the CBD, are connected to key public transport infrastructure, including the South East Busway and future Woolloongabba Cross River Rail Station. After this stage of formal market engagement, a competitive process will be developed to invite the private sector to submit proposals, the Government said. One of Australia’s landmark sporting venues, The Gabba is to be demolished after the Games. At the time of the announcement of The Gabba’s fate, in March of this year, housing and public works minister Sam O’Connor said the future of the arena and The Gabba “is on the table and it’s how we can deliver the legacy benefits”. Announcing the call for interest, the state said that the precinct would unlock tourism opportunities through major events, sports, and experiences; draw new investment in hospitality, retail, and residential development; and increase housing and urban activation in one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the project would create a legacy that would endure well beyond the Games. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to capitalise on the 2032 Games and transform Woolloongabba into a vibrant entertainment and housing precinct in the heart of our capital city,” he said. “We are inviting industry experts to help shape this project, while ensuring we deliver the transport and community infrastructure that benefits Queenslanders around the state.” From: The Urban Developer.com