Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:41): I seek leave to make a brief explanation prior to addressing a question to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing regarding the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Leave granted.

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO: On Monday, the opposition called on the government to establish a Team SA 2032 games legacy committee, ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games. The committee would be a bipartisan committee, have representatives from sport, business and government, and focus on attracting as many athletes and teams from around the world as possible to make SA their pre-games training base.

Our state hosted some 1,000 athletes and support staff from 26 countries prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and there is an expectation that similar would occur in 2032. The committee has broad support from state sporting organisations and sporting clubs, as well as the business community. My question to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing is: will the government commit to establishing a Team SA 2032 games legacy committee and task it with developing a strategy to maximise the economic benefit and actively promote South Australia as a place to be prior to the games?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:42): I thank the honourable member for her question. I am advised the state government has already begun the process of exploring Olympic Games related activities to help build on the state's considerable sporting legacy. Investments we have made, like the $88 million in the SASI headquarters surrounding the Mile End Sports Precinct, includes a cycling wind tunnel, the first in the Southern Hemisphere. Another opportunity is to showcase world-class facilities in regard to promoting this on the world stage.

We have also seen a brand new $92 million netball and indoor sporting facility across the road at Mile End, and we are already seeing strong interest from international teams in using these facilities for training camps. Just this week, the Japanese men's beach volleyball team was based in South Australia to train at the SASI new courts ahead of future tournaments.