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“This is our games, and this is our legacy.”
Australian athletes, including retired two-time Olympic gold medallist-turned-Chef de Mission Anna Meares, have reacted to the newly unveiled Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics slogan of “Believe. Belong. Become. Brisbane 2032.”
The track cyclist said she feels the slogan applies to the community as a whole.
Australian athletes Lachie Kennedy, Madison de Rozario, and Anna Meares were among those on a panel at the Brisbane 2032 Games Vision announcement.Credit: Dominique Tassell
Athletes have an innate belief that they are capable of winning that makes them good role models for the community, she said.
“Belief is really important, because belief gives you courage, it gives you the ability to, when you feel fear, to step forward and still try, when every part of you is telling you to turn around and run.
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“When it comes to belong … we find a sense of belonging through our communities and our connections and for many of us it’s through sport and the sporting communities. And as an athlete and an inspiring Olympian to the Australian Olympic team, being a part of that team gives you a sense of pride to belong to it, to wear the green and gold and represent our country as a community.
“As Chef de Mission, the environment and the culture for that team is so critical because it impacts the mood, it impacts the ability for them to connect and contribute.
“And those are things we all need across our communities, not just from our sports sector but our education, our business, our politics, right across the breadth of everything that impacts us in our lives as Australians.”
Having the slogan ready now is crucial as it sets the tone for the legacy the Games will create, Meares said. “Our legacy isn’t what happens after the games, it’s what we’re starting to do now to deliver those games.”
Australian athlete Cate Campbell said the new slogan is ‘all about heart’.Credit: Dominique Tassell
Paralympian Madison de Rozario said she hoped the Games would be a catalyst for Paralympians being seen as multifaceted athletes like any other.
“I think a huge part of belonging in any community, in any world, is feeling, being perceived in the way that we perceive ourselves,” the wheelchair racer said.
“And I think very often as Paralympians and as people with disabilities, that isn’t our lived experience. I think oftentimes we see ourselves a certain way, and then we’re told over and over again through the stories that are told about us that the world doesn’t see us in that way.
“When we tell Paralympian stories, we often think that the acquisition of their disability must be the low point. And I think we don’t then go and look any further into what it might actually be for that individual.”
Part of the slogan focuses on the new era of sport in Australia, and Australia’s fastest man Lachie Kennedy said it’s essential to develop our athletes of the future.
“Each year there’s a whole new wave of just talent coming through that wasn’t there before,” the Olympian said. “Every new group of juniors is our best juniors ever, every group of new people coming through is breaking records every year in nationals.”
“I mean that’s the best thing about Australian sport, is our grassroots really develop the youth. Because that is the future. [The Games] is only temporary, but the grassroots are forever, so I think it’s just super exciting, a really good opportunity for the city and for the sport.”
More announcements about the Games are expected in the new year, including the emblem, the sport program and first commercial sponsor.
The Games vision is not to be confused with the Brisbane 2032 tagline, which will be released closer to the Games and be used on promotional material.
The Los Angeles 2028 Games has the vision “Together we can change the future” while Paris had “Sport can change lives”.
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