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Brisbane 2032 powerbrokers have been urged to think about more than money when deciding which sports to feature in the Games, as exclusive polling reveals what Queenslanders would choose.
Almost one-third of people polled for this masthead’s Resolve Political Monitor would add rugby league to the spectacle, despite the sport never featuring at an Olympic Games.
Cricket was the second-most popular, with two years before it will debut in Los Angeles 2028. It was followed by netball and surf-lifesaving – two popular participation sports in Queensland, with their governing bodies lobbying for inclusion in the international event.
Australian Olympic champion Kieren Perkins said a delicate balance must be struck between sports that would be engaging on a global scale and those that honoured the pursuit of excellence rather than financial gain.
Perkins, a two-time 1500-metre freestyle gold medallist who is now chief executive of the Australian Sport Commission, said his preference would be to ensure sports that were independently financially strong were not considered.
Asked if he could see rugby league working as a concept similar to soccer, in which an under-23s competition takes place, he suggested an iteration such as touch football would be more realistic.
“Those sports that are independently commercially successful, the Olympic stage is probably not really for them,” he said.
“That stage is for those sports where it isn’t a commercial entertainment game, that it isn’t a game filled with highly paid athletes who are there for the job.
“The Olympic and Paralympic Games is an environment for those people who are dedicated to seeing how far they can push themselves and the excellence within their sport for the pure pursuit of that and nothing else.”
About 10 per cent of those polled backed the inclusion of Australian rules football in Brisbane 2032. AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has confirmed the league was in talks to play a demonstration match at the Games.
Perkins’ touch football suggestion follows the inclusion of flag football – the touch version of American football – for Los Angeles 2028, and its push to remain a part of Brisbane 2032. In April, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell visited Queensland to pitch flag football to the organising committee.
Netball has also engaged in a widespread campaign, drawing on its footprint of 13 million players across 120 countries – including 1.6 million participants across 3300 clubs in Australia.
While it was only the top-two choice of 18 per cent of those polled by Resolve, separate polling commissioned by the governing body found 66 per cent people wanted the code to feature in 2032.
Diamonds veteran Liz Watson – a gold medallist at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games – said the Olympics was the one thing missing from the sport’s calendar to truly make it an international force.
She said she often spoke with people who believed it was already a permanent fixture of the Games.
“We are the most popular young women and girls’ sport in Australia in terms of participation rates, so that in itself is huge,” Watson said.
“To me, it’s a no-brainer. The World Cup and Comm Games ... we do get that great exposure, but I think to put it on a world stage, to be an Olympian and go to the Olympics, would do so much for our sport.
“Now that it’s at home, it’s probably our best shot to get in, and once we’re in, hopefully stay in.”
Softball, which will also make its Games return in LA, is also pushing to retain its spot – a move boosted by Australia securing the hosting rights of the 2027 Women’s World Cup finals, to take place in Redcliffe.
Federal Minister for Sport Anika Wells said the timeline of when decisions around which sports would feature in the Games was in the hands of the International Olympic Committee.
“I think it’s really important for us to have iconic Australian sports. I really want to see sports that Australian kids already play and can see themselves playing and training for to get to Brisbane 2032,” Wells said.
“Netball’s put in a really strong bid. I think sports like surf lifesaving, iconic Australian events that give kids the opportunity to go for it, no matter what their personal family backgrounds are – that’s what drives me in sports selection.”
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