2032 Seoul-Pyongyang Joint Olympics Canceled... Likely to Be Held in Brisbane, Australia

IOC to Vote on Brisbane, Australia as Host City for 2032 Olympics at July General Assembly

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Brisbane, Queensland, Australia has been virtually decided as the sole candidate to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, resulting in the collapse of the South Korean government's plan to jointly host the Summer Olympics in Seoul and Pyongyang.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) unanimously selected Brisbane, Australia as the host city for the 2032 Summer Olympics at the Executive Board meeting held on the 11th (Korean time). It was also announced that the decision will be put to a vote at the IOC General Assembly in Tokyo, Japan, on July 21, two days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics.

Accordingly, the bid for the 2032 Seoul-Pyongyang joint Olympics was officially terminated.

The IOC Executive Board chose Brisbane as the sole host city based on the Brisbane bid committee's cost-saving plan to use 84% of existing venues, as well as strong support from the Australian government, Queensland state government, and the Australian public.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Earlier, in February, the IOC had selected Brisbane as the preferred candidate for the 2032 Summer Olympics.

Other regions that competed in the bid, including North and South Korea, Doha in Qatar, Budapest in Hungary, Rhine-Ruhr in Germany, Chengdu and Chongqing in China, Jakarta in Indonesia, New Delhi in India, Istanbul in Turkey, and Saint Petersburg in Russia, were eliminated during the first phase of the bid process, the 'continuous dialogue' with the IOC.

The IOC Summer Olympics Future Host Commission conducted a four-month 'targeted dialogue' with the Brisbane bid committee in the second phase and recommended the host city decision to the Executive Board, which approved the proposal without any dissenting votes.

Brisbane, Australia [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

If Brisbane is confirmed as the host city at the General Assembly vote next month, it will be the third time Australia hosts the Olympics, following Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.

The Brisbane bid committee estimated that the 2032 Summer Olympics would generate an economic effect of USD 6.1 billion (approximately KRW 6.8 trillion) for Queensland and USD 13.4 billion (approximately KRW 14.95 trillion) for Australia as a whole.

Previously, due to ongoing bribery scandals targeting IOC members with voting rights amid heated bidding competition, the IOC significantly changed the Olympic host city selection process at the General Assembly in June 2019.

The clause that decided the next Olympic host city seven years in advance was removed, and a new 'Future Host Commission for Summer and Winter Olympics' was established to narrow down candidate cities step-by-step, submitting only one or two candidates for the General Assembly vote.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.