A new home of Australian swimming needs to be built in Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the peak body for the sport says.
Key points:
- The swimming events are planned to take place at the yet-to-be-built Brisbane Live arena
- Swimming Australia said any new pool would be an asset to the community
- The peak body said its “preference” was not a drop-in pool
The current plan for the swimming event at the Games involves a drop-in pool at the planned Brisbane Live entertainment arena to be built at Roma Street with $2.5 billion in funding from the federal government.
But Swimming Australia chief executive Eugenie Buckley said while the drop-in pool would be “wonderful for fans” during the Games, it would not leave behind a legacy for swimming — a sport that has delivered almost 50 per cent of Australia’s medals.
“If we look back at Sydney 2000, when they got the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, who are actually hosting the New South Wales State Opens this weekend, so it’s still a legacy asset and used,” she said.
“I think it would be beneficial to have a physical legacy because it’s something where in the lead-up and post, you can have your general community from learn-to-swim to masters all being able to swim in that Olympic [and] Paralympic pool and being inspired by performances of the Dolphins (the Australian swim team).”
Swimming Australia did not suggest a location for the national site or the cost of building it.
Ms Buckley said Swimming Australia would seek public and stakeholder feedback on the ideas for the location and design of the aquatic centre and go to market with the plan.
“We’re currently having conversations with universities, private developers, government, of course in relation to what this national home of swimming would look like,” she said.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles told ABC Radio Brisbane the city did not need a permanent swimming venue with 15,000 seats, but needed a live music venue.
“Our plan does involve a major upgrade of the Brisbane Aquatic Centre at Chandler and we’d love if Swimming Australia wanted to make that the home of swimming for all of Australia,” he said.
Ms Buckley said Swimming Australia would love to have a national aquatic centre with technology and innovation that Australia is proud of.
Ms Buckley told ABC Radio Brisbane “nothing is off the table” for the new home of swimming and flagged there were existing possible locations like the Chandler centre and Gold Cost Aquatic Centre upgraded for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“In an ideal world, in our dream, we would love to have a national aquatic centre that is the envy of the world that actually attracts tourists to come to Queensland, to Brisbane, to have a look at the home of swimming,” she said.
“We’re working on our own swimming headquarters, we’re looking at an integration between our high-performance centre of excellence, our corporate headquarters, as well as full integration with our community.
“We’d like to go to market, we’re currently having conversations with universities, private developers, government, of course in relation to what this national home of swimming could look like.”
Games legacy strategy being developed
The agreement would see the federal government fund $2.5 billion towards building the 18,000-seat Brisbane Live entertainment arena and the state rebuild the Gabba for $2.7 billion.
At the time of the announcement, federal member for the inner-city seat of Griffith, Max Chandler-Mather, said it was a “disgraceful” misuse of government money.
Organisers have pitched the sporting spectacle as a more sustainable and cost-effective event, with the International Olympic Committee scrapping its costly old rules requiring sports to have their own purpose-built facilities for the Games.
James Cook University adjunct professor and regional economist Colin Dwyer said he understood the need for better swimming facilities but noted the cost of the Games had already blown out.
He said the Gabba would cost about $54,000 per seat, while the Brisbane Live arena would cost $147,058 per seat.
“We need to know how much extra it’s going to cost for swimming facilities and where the money is going to come from,” he said.
“We also have to think about the impact on regions, and distant regions that aren’t going to get the same benefit as the south-east corner.”
Swimming Australia’s call for legacy infrastructure comes as the peak body today launches consultation with stakeholders and the public, to develop a BNE32 Legacy Impact Strategy.
“A physical legacy will be a really hot topic as we go out to consultation with our community, but as it stands now, it’s certainly not our preference to have a drop-in pool,” Ms Buckley said.
The legacy committee formed by Swimming Australia to design a strategy will be chaired by Olympian Grant Hackett.
Swimming is already the nation’s largest participation sport, with 5.3 million organised swimmers.
Sleeman Sports Complex in the Brisbane suburb of Chandler was purpose-built for the 1982 Commonwealth Games, and its indoor Brisbane Aquatic Centre is slated for an upgrade as part of the state government’s 2032 master plan for the Games.
The Brisbane Aquatic Centre will host Olympic artistic swimming, diving and water polo, and the Paralympic Aquatics with 4,300 spectator seats.
A Queensland government spokesperson said the government was “happy to discuss the possible location of a new home for Australian swimming in Queensland” but Brisbane Arena will host “Olympic and Paralympic swimming and water polo finals”.
The Commonwealth government has been contacted for comment.
‘A pod of First Nations Dolphins’
Quandamooka traditional owner Cameron Costello, who is on the Brisbane 2032 Legacy Committee and the Swimming Australia committee, said the Games present an opportunity to make sure there is more representation of First Nations swimmers.
He said the infrastructure should integrate First Nations design principles that share the stories of Indigenous people.
“It’s not just the sport, it’s the events, the jobs, the volunteers, we want to ensure our First Nations people are engaged with that, and more broadly with regional and remote communities,” he said.
“We want a pod of First Nations Dolphins.”
Paralympian Ellie Cole, who is on the Swimming Australia legacy committee, said she is looking forward to seeing inclusive strategies being developed for the 2032 Games.
“I would like to see an increase in the number of Para Athletes making themselves eligible for 2032,” she said.
“I would like to see an increase in that Para pathway funding and more opportunities for athletes to be classified.
“It would be nice to see a permanent structure that has consideration around universal design, an accessible design, so that everyone in our community is able to use it and able to use it for years to come.”
Australian swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook, who won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 200m breaststroke, said a home Games was all about creating legacy.
“It’s a real opportunity to put ourselves on the map as the best swimming nation in the world, I think it would take a lot to get there, but I think it would really take the sport to the next level in terms of the decades afterwards,” he said.
He still remembers racing as a kid at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, and as he stepped up to the blocks, there were plaques displaying world records achieved at the pool.
“That shows the history of the pool, it shows the legacy of the pool, and it’s inspirational for young kids, but also people who are aspiring to always get to that next level.”
The legacy strategy is scheduled to be completed by July 2023.
The state and federal governments have been contacted for comment.
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