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Five-time Olympic gold-medallist Ian Thorpe is the latest addition to a group of athletes advising planners on how the Brisbane 2032 Games should be run.
The athletes and sport advisory group, whose founding members were announced three weeks ago, provides input to the Brisbane 2032 board.
The group includes fellow champion swimmer and group chair Susie O’Neill and other sporting luminaries such as wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley and canoeist Jessica Fox.
Ian Thorpe wins the 400m freestyle at Athens.Credit: Craig Golding
O’Neill said Thorpe’s addition would help ensure athletes stayed at the centre of Olympic planning.
“Ian is not only one of Australia’s greatest Olympians, but an incredible advocate for the success and support of athletes across Australia,” she said.
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Advisory groups representing the interests of mayors, Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders, and the commercial sector were also announced this month.
Seven mayors from around the state were added to the host mayors advisory group, including Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding and Redlands Mayor Jos Mitchell.
Fraser Coast, Mackay, Rockhampton and Whitsunday mayors were also added to the group, which is expected to change as the venues for the Games are confirmed.
That group’s chair, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, said regional voices were key to delivering a positive Olympic legacy for Queensland, not just Brisbane.
“Expanding the host mayors advisory group means more local voices helping shape a Games that benefits communities across our state,” he said.
Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris said the groups represented their communities, and were an essential part of the planning process.
“There is an incredible amount of support and goodwill across Queensland and beyond to ensure that our home Games are successful and, importantly, drive meaningful and lasting legacies for local communities,” Liveris said.
The Queensland government shrunk the size of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee Board in July from 24 members to 15.
When announcing the advisory groups on October 3, Liveris said they would be pivotal to sharpening the vison of the Games.
“There is an incredible amount of knowledge, goodwill and desire to accelerate progress and deliver lasting legacies across the initial four advisory groups and I look forward to working closely with members in the years ahead,” he said.
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