The 2032 Olympics may have found a host city. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said after an executive board meeting that Brisbane can win hosting rights at a meeting ahead of the Olympics in Tokyo, according to the Associated Press. The city in Australia was named the preferred candidate without a formal opponent.
The decision is now “in the hands” of the members, Bach said. Normally the members approve the recommendations coming from leadership, which means Brisbane will be the host city for the 2032 Olympics barring any major setbacks. Brisbane is set to be the first Olympic host to not have an opponent under a new system to streaming bid campaigns. This was done in order to decrease the risk of vote-buying. Tokyo’s bid and Rio de Janeiro’s bid for 2016 were scrutinized by corruption allegations.
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There were other cities looking to host the Olympics in 2032. The quick selection put officials in Germany, Hungary, Indonesia and Qatar on the sideline. Bach suggested that talks will continue with a “pool of interested parties” to host the Olympics in 2036 and 2040. The last time Australia hosted the Olympics was in 2000 with the Sydney Games, which was a big success. The U.S. won the most medals with 93 while Australia had the fourth-most medals with 58.
After the Tokyo Olympics, the summer games will head to Paris in 2024. It will be the third time Paris will host the game with the first being in 1900 and the second being in 1924. In 2028, the Olympics will return to Los Angeles. Like Paris, L.A. will host the games for the third time with the first being in 1932 and the second being in 1984.
The biggest focus for the IOC is getting through this year’s Olympics. Japan is dealing with COVID-19 concerns, which is the reason why the games were postponed last year. It looks like the Olympics won’t be pushed back again but people in Japan are considering the event being called off.
“We cannot think it’s rational to host the Olympics in the city this summer,” the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said in its editorial section. “Distrust and backlash against the reckless national government, Tokyo government and stakeholders in the Olympics are nothing but escalating. We demand Prime Minister Suga to calmly evaluate the circumstances and decide the cancellation of the summer event.”
