Much of the euphoria following the announcement that Brisbane and surrounding regions would host the 2032 Olympic was overtaken by the excitement of the 16 days of the actual Tokyo Olympic Games.
It’s been a long time coming but Brisbane’s first bid to host the Games – the 1992 Olympics – goes back almost 40 years!
Following the success of the 1982 XII Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, the then Lord Mayor Roy Harvey wrote on behalf of the Brisbane City Council (BCC), dominated by the Labor Party, in January 1983 to the IOC seeking the 1992 Olympics.
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‘Olympics Down Under’ – July 25 – August 9 -‘when Brisbane enjoys idyllic dry weather’, and athletes in the northern hemisphere are ‘in-season’, was one of the key factor. And when there were some negative rumours about the Games in Korea in 1988, another catch-cry – ‘Brisbane’s ready’ – came to the fore; Brisbane could host those Games now!
However, there were fervent critics; Murray Hedgcock wrote in The Weekend Australian (October 1984): It’s difficult to know whether to applaud, laugh, or cry about Brisbane’s belated campaign to grab the 1992 Summer Olympics … The last thing they [the European countries] want .. is to face a 1992 trek to the other side of the world … .
In the interim, Sallyanne Atkinson, was elected Lord Mayor along with a majority of Liberal Party councillors. It was she who appointed a key figure in the Australian Olympic Federation (AOF now the AOC) John Coates, executive director of the Brisbane 1992 Olympic Project Office), to head the bid committee and lead the presentation of the bid to the 90th IOC in Lausanne.
Brisbane came third, Paris second, and Barcelona, the home city of IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who was in his final term, was voted the host city for 1992.
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It was acknowledged Brisbane’s bid was most worthy and highly acclaimed by the IOC.
Immediately after the decision, the media queried Sallyanne: ‘Would Brisbane run again for the 1996 Games?’ With council elections forthcoming, her reply was that she would have to ask the people of Brisbane’. The delay created the opportunity for other Australian cities to offer proposals to the AOC to host the 1996 Olympics.
John Coates stated in an interview: ‘ … little doubt the AOF again will endorse Brisbane as Australia’s 1996 candidate if it wants to re-submit. ‘‘Climatically, Brisbane is by far our best candidate. [Courier-Mail, October 22, 1986]
Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney expressed interest to the AOF in hosting the 1996 Olympics, and an internal ‘selection‘ process took place throughout 1988. As a member of the Brisbane ‘proposal’ team, I can write some personal recollections.
Brief written submissions were submitted to representatives of all State Olympic Councils. who also visited Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – Perth dropped out. Each city made live and electronic presentations to the AOF executive board at a gathering in the Australian Institute of Sport auditorium in Canberra in mid-November 1988. Melbourne won.
While seated in the auditorium of the announcement, Sallyanne Atkinson quietly uttered ‘to members of her ‘team’ – “I accept the umpire’s decision; I just think the umpire was wrong.”
Cartoonists in the daily press in both Sydney and Brisbane the following morning depicted the responses of the losing cities.
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Melbourne organisers had only two years to prepare their bid for the IOC. One of the slogans and pleas used was that it was ‘Time for another continent’. Not only had the northern hemisphere hosted all summer Olympics apart from 1956, but North America had hosted five. It was expected the Athens bid would be the major challenge as the inaugural Olympics were held there in 1896. However, the bid documents were so sub-standard by comparison and there was to be no centenary celebration.
Atlanta, Georgia, the home and influence of Coca-Cola, won; again, a cartoonist (Jeff’) depicted the feelings of many.
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The Australian Olympic Committee (no longer the AOF) through its new president John Coates decreed there would be no large-scale presentations or lobbying by Australian cities.
The momentum of Sallyanne Atkinsons’ bid for the 1992 Games, and the follow-up by Melbourne for 1996, was a great asset in trying again for the 2000 Olympics. In the AOC’s 1990 Annual Report: The support for a Sydney bid ‘ … was done in the knowledge that the residue of goodwill created first by Brisbane bidding for ‘92 and then Melbourne for ‘96 provided the Australian candidate city with a momentum that other cities would be pressing to match’.
Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney all nominated but Coates stated, “ultimately we came down for Sydney because it is Australia’s best known city internationally, it is bigger and easier to promote and because Melbourne had hosted a previous Olympics.”
Three years later, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch announced in his unique way that ‘Syd-e-ney’ would host the 2000 Olympic Games.
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