Sydney 2000 may be four years gone and counting, and Melbourne 1956 approachs its 50th anneversary, but whats forgotten is the effort in not just planning the Olympics, but convincing the IOC to bring the Olympic Games to Oz. We've done it twice, and I reakon we can do it a third time (2020, 2024 or 2028 bid for Melbourne!!).

Does anybody remember Australia's past Olympic bids? Ones that never made it.

Melbourne bid for 1988, for Australia's bicentennial, but backed out of the candidature process, leaving only Nagoya and Seoul to continue.
Had Melbourne won 88, Waverley Park would be built to 140,000, a rail link built (OMG! Vic Govnt what were u thinking!!) along Wellington Road, and the Olympic Park area redeveloped.

Brisbane bid for the 1992 games. The bid was originally named Brisbane-Gold Coast 1992, but the IOC is against joint bidding, and it was just named Brisbane. three quarters of the venues werent in Brisbane, many were in Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Northern NSW.
http://www.aldaver.com/Images/Osb/92/lg1992b1.gif
the Brisbane 1992 mascot, "Brizzy Bear"
http://www.aldaver.com/Images/Osb/92/ms1992b1.jpg

Melbourne's 1996 bid was perhaps our most contraversial. We were up against Athens, hopeful contender of the Centennial Olympic Games. in the evaluation Melbourne ranked first in the technical scheme of things, basically what the IOC most considers for the bid before culture... this basically means had the 1996 Olympics been in Melbourne, it wouldent have been a logistics nightmare like Atlanta's Games were. Samaranch also said Melbourne would be a fine host as the city was so different from the one presented in 1956, and Melbourne's huge Greek population would help contribute and give respect to what the Centennial Olympic Games should have been all about (Atlanta favoured Coca Cola over Olympia in 1996).
http://www.aldaver.com/Images/Osb/96/lg1996b4.jpg

And the next chapter was Sydney 2000, and we all know that story well!! :)


It is also interesting to note, in Feb. 1993, Melbourne was given AOC rights to bid for the 2004 Olympics, if Sydney had lost 2000.


Judging by the fact Melbourne 1996 would have been held from October 1 to 17, had three more votes gone to Beijing for 2000, we could have been only three weeks away from the Melbourne 2004 Olympic Games!

Melbourne only scraped in by the skin of a bee's dick in 1956 also. We had one or two more votes above Buenos Aires (and the Olympics have NEVER been in South America!).

http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=yyb1ze&outx=980&oq=0

Great look. Those 1996 Olympic banners with a transport strike. IOC must have been impressed.

A few years ago there was an article in the Townsville Bulletin which described visions for the future of Townsville from high school students. One predicted Townsville would host the Olympics jointly with Mackay & Cairns by 2020. I couldn't stop laughing.

Melbourne only scraped in by the skin of a bee's dick in 1956 also. We had one or two more votes above Buenos Aires (and the Olympics have NEVER been in South America!).

Interesting that the two Australian host cities both won their bids by a slim margin. Actually Sydney only needed 1 vote to go the other way to Beijing for there to be a tie and Samaranch voting in Beijing's favour. Close call but a great games.

Here's a list of the cities that finished second in the vote from 1952-2008:

1952- Los Angeles, USA Minneapolis, USA
1956- Buenos Aires, Argentina
1960- Lausanne, Switzerland
1964- Detroit, USA
1968- Detroit, USA
1972- Detroit, USA
1976- Moscow, USSR
1980- Los Angeles, USA
1984- Los Angeles, USA* (only candidate) the nadir of the olympics :(
1988- Nagoya, Japan
1992- Paris, France
1996- Athens, Greece
2000- Beijing, China
2004- Rome, Italy
2008- Toronto, Canada

I have an idea what was said in Detroit after it ran second for the third time going for the '72 games...........f^%# this for a joke. :D (they haven't bid again)
They also bid for the 1944 and '56 games. Can't say they didn't try. You'd have to say it would be a long time now before Detroit has a chance to hold the games.

The olympics have come a long way in 20 years. Nobody wanted 'em in 1980 now cities lie, cheat, steal and bribe to get a chance to host them. :)

Id like to see Brisbane be our next Olympic city...

Lol @ Detroit

^Yup, Brissy already has the infrastructure there to host an olympics on the cheap.

We could follow on from the Commonwealth and Goodwill games and host it at QEII which now has "all plastic seats" (how flash is that?) and a capacity of around 50k.

When Sydney started its bid in 1990,its sports facilities were quite poor and Homebush Bay was a toxic dump and abottior.

What did Sydney have 20 years ago in venues??..bugger all.
Who knows what Brissy will have in 2024!

I remember well the outrage by the Melbourne based Greeks after Melbourne lost the right to host the 1996 Games to Atlanta.

They were outraged because:

1) Athens missed the Centennial Games (they felt it was Athens' right to host the Centenary of Games).

2) Melbourne missed out too (if Athens didnt get them, at least Melbourne getting them would have been a sweetner).

3) Instead, an American city got the games (12 years after LA had hosted them) which only outraged them further. And because Coca Cola was pivotal in helping Atlanta secure the Games, I remember seeing on the news all the Greek fish and chip shop owners throwing their coke cans out on the street as a form of protest.

It seems an American city will get to host the Games at least one in four cycles. If there is a lesson to be learnt, try and avoid bidding for a Games if an American city bids.

Brisbane would be cool as you could have some events on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. Perth would be great as well. Its claim would be the most isolated capital in the world.

Brisbane would be cool as you could have some events on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. Perth would be great as well. Its claim would be the most isolated capital in the world.

I think it would work against them, to be honest. It's hard enough convincing the IOC to venture south of the equator, than promoting that. I think that factor might scare away votes.

Also in regards to Brisbane, I don't think they'd place venues so far and wide, like from Sunshine Coast to Gold Coast. As I said, their biggest failure in the 1992 bid was the fact some venue (more then half) venues werent even in Brisbane itself.. they as far north as the Sunshine Coast, as far south as Byron Bay, west as Toowoomba. A fair chunk would have been in the Gold Coast also (triathlon, basketball, sailing). An Olympic Sports centre for Cycling (velodrome), Basketball and gymnastics would have been built at the site of the new GC Convention Centre also.
As far as I can recall the only events im sure were in Brisbane itself (like within half an hour of the CBD) was shooting, archery, aquatics and athletics.

Interesting bid, but the IOC doesnt like spread out bids. Next time it actually has to be a BRISBANE bid, not SEQ..

Melbourne wanted to bid for the 2000 Olympics along with Sydney but they pulled out in 1991, meaning Sydney got the chance to bid.

A few years ago there was an article in the Townsville Bulletin which described visions for the future of Townsville from high school students. One predicted Townsville would host the Olympics jointly with Mackay & Cairns by 2020. I couldn't stop laughing.

Townsvillians (Indeed North Queenslanders) have always had an over bloated degree of self belief. I laugh too, but also believe that a bit of self belief is not always a bad thing. One should always aim high and not be constrained by self doubt. After all, Melbourne's 1956 bid started with a tongue in cheek suggestion in 1946 during the annual 'Athletics Australia' Committee meeting. The same meeting that also announced that they only had six pounds and ten shillings in their coffers. Funnily one of their committee members suggested that they should perhaps aim for something big.... well as they say ... The rest is history.


Melbourne only scraped in by the skin of a bee's dick in 1956 also. We had one or two more votes above Buenos Aires (and the Olympics have NEVER been in South America!).

Tays you are underselling Melbourne completely:- Melbourne did not scrape in by a 'bees dick' as you say. It comprehensively knocked out eight other bidding USA cities. The final vote was a two way split between Buenos Aries and Melbourne. Melbourne got the nod by a single vote on the last round (out of a panel of 15). Keeping in mind that Argentina was an extremely wealthy country in those days before the 'Peron' Dynasty and their excesses.

There is no doubt that Atlanta stuffed the job up good and propper, and that if Melbourne had of in fact gotten the 1996 Games that it would have no doubt done a far better job. But, where would that have left Sydney? Waiting another 50 years to host the best games ever? One cannot dispute the undeniable fact that Sydney would not have gotten the games had Melbourne and Brisbane not bid earlier for the 1996 and 1992 games respectively. SOCOG acknowledged throughout the 90's that they had learned and indeed been heavily advised by members of the former bid committees (from Brisbane and Melbourne) on what to do and what not to do. Further, how much it would cost under the table ;)

Sorry folks ... That's the way that the reast of the world works ... Outside Australia the rest of those other corrupt legal and business bastards abroad don't share our sense of fair play, ethics, chivalry or manners. Outside Australia there is no translation for the term "FAIR GO".

As for Melbourne or any other Australian city hosting another Olympic Games, goodness do we seriously want to let the world keep getting a free ride on our coat tails? It's okay to stage these events once every 50 to 100 years, but let the rest of the world burden the costs equally. I would rather that we show case ourselves for our other great deeds and achievements.

I agree Adam it will be a long time before we get the games again lets not forget that Africa and South America still havent hosted a games yet.

Melbourne did not scrape in by a 'bees dick' as you say. It comprehensively knocked out eight other bidding USA cities.

Melbourne beat 9 cities, 6 of which were US cities. :)

Of course don't forget Stockholm. Thanks to strict Victorian quarantine laws it is also home to the 1956 olympics.

There was a single ballot to hold the 'Equestrian games'.

Stockholm 25
Paris 10
Rio de Janeiro 8
West Berlin 2
Buenos Aires 0

Brisbane will prob be the next Aussie city..

It will be a while before perth has a chance.


I would suspect Adelaide will get them before perth.

Brisbane has built up enough facilities now to be able to host them (of course more would be built.. but we hae substantial Venues now)

Who decides if a city bids for it anyway?

I reckon Melbourne will have a crack for the 2020 games, and if they miss out Brisbane will get a turn for 2024 or 2028.

I reckon Melbourne will have a crack for the 2020 games, and if they miss out Brisbane will get a turn for 2024 or 2028.

This may be a little depressing but I think most of us will be pensioned off before we see another olympics in this country.

Well I will be for sure. :)

Just in case anyone was interested in 2012

Five cities to compete to host 2012 Olympic Games
18 May 2004
Paris (FRA), New York (USA), Moscow (RUS), London (GBR), and Madrid (ESP)* were today accepted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board in Lausanne as Candidate Cities to host the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012. The decision was made following discussions that led to a unanimous consensus. The cities were accepted from a total of nine Applicant Cities, which also included Leipzig (GER), Istanbul (TUR), Havana (CUB), and Rio de Janeiro (BRA).

^^

I always find a little amusing seeing some of the cities which are put up as host cities.

It certainly is the battle of the heavyweights in 2012.

lol @ the rejected cities.


I think that an aussie city should jump in soon... and use the impression left by sydney to help get the spot.

Brisbane should be the next Aussie city to host an Olympics. Don't ask me where the money is gonna come from though!! :D

lol @ the rejected cities.


I think that an aussie city should jump in soon... and use the impression left by sydney to help get the spot.


Come on, do we seriously want another great games when there are better things for us to spend money on, like ourselves? Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria have terrible hospital waiting lists. We have a government that prefers to give money to women that encourages them (regardless of the matrimonial condition) to open their legs. We've endured a whole election campaign based around 'trees', 'interest rates' and 'trust'. There has been a national swing against Labor and as a 'Labor Voter' it annoys me to see my own party in denial about the real issues.

Australian's clearly don't want to see good money thrown after bad. They want their taxes (it's not bloody surplus ... it's just unspent taxes ... your money and mine) to be spent on the right areas.

- The elderly
- Health Care
- Education (because it's a direct investment in the future of our nation) and
- Roads and Transport

I have said it once, I'll say it again ... Why should we be the mugs to always put on these party's for a bunch of international parasites (IOC). The IOC are kinda like the sports world equivalent of the UN (A total useless waste of money).

Australia should not have another Olympics for a long time. Sydney was a great Olympics but the games need to go to different places all over the world, and to host them 3 times in a nation which is not that populated anyways would be wrong. That is te reason that I am against Madrid's bid for the 2012 games because they already had the Olympics in 1992.

My moneys on New York,the Yanks own the Olympics and occaisionally let another country host them .

A lot of fuss over a 2 week sports carnival. When it's over who cares?
I know that sounds shallow but the olympic "ideal" is long dead.
$$$$$$

Melbourne wanted to bid for the 2000 Olympics along with Sydney but they pulled out in 1991, meaning Sydney got the chance to bid.

Actually Melbourne got shafted by the Australain Olypmic committee who chose Melbourne instead of Sydney for the 1996 bid because they wanted the games in Sydney and the knew that 1996 was a 2 horse race between Athens (Centennial Games, history) and Atlanta (Coca-Cola, CNN) and that no other city in the world had a hope. That meant that Sydney would get the next bid where they knew Australia was due for a second games.

Syndye IOC member Phil Coles never supported the Melbourne bid, actively talked it down, and voted against Melbourne and for Atlanta.

Brisbane in 1992 and Melbourne in 1996 were just test runs for the Sydney bid in 2000.

Australia should not have another Olympics for a long time. Sydney was a great Olympics but the games need to go to different places all over the world, and to host them 3 times in a nation which is not that populated anyways would be wrong. That is te reason that I am against Madrid's bid for the 2012 games because they already had the Olympics in 1992.

As opposed to being against New York 2012, after.. lets see.. Salt Lake City 2002, Atlanta 1996, L.A. 1984, Lake Placid 1980...............

I would like to see Brisbane get the next Australian Olympic games, however, I dont think we should get it till at least 2028. Id love to see a South American city get the games.

I think the advantage that Brisbane would have is that we would have to put in alot of infrastructure that we currently dont have but are going to need over the next 20 to 30 years but lets face it, if the State Govt dont get off their arses and do a bit more about SEQ infrastructure soon then the place is going to be in such a mess the IOC would never pick it!!!

Also on the money side of things, I dont think we can completely discount the impact that the Sydney games had on the Australian Tourism Industry, I seriously doubt that the tourism industry would have survived so well the global tourism slump after Sept11 if it were not for the 2000 Games. I have no facts to base this on but I do know that every tourist I have met here mentioned the Sydney Olympic Coverage as one of the things that made them seriously want to come here. Its a bigger effort for the rest of the world to come here than it is for us to go there, were use to the distance, theyre not.

Come on, do we seriously want another great games when there are better things for us to spend money on, like ourselves? Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria have terrible hospital waiting lists. We have a government that prefers to give money to women that encourages them (regardless of the matrimonial condition) to open their legs. We've endured a whole election campaign based around 'trees', 'interest rates' and 'trust'. There has been a national swing against Labor and as a 'Labor Voter' it annoys me to see my own party in denial about the real issues.

Australian's clearly don't want to see good money thrown after bad. They want their taxes (it's not bloody surplus ... it's just unspent taxes ... your money and mine) to be spent on the right areas.

- The elderly
- Health Care
- Education (because it's a direct investment in the future of our nation) and
- Roads and Transport

I have said it once, I'll say it again ... Why should we be the mugs to always put on these party's for a bunch of international parasites (IOC). The IOC are kinda like the sports world equivalent of the UN (A total useless waste of money).

Mate, you didn't have to tell us who you voted for.........It was MORE than obvious!! LOL

2012 LONDON
2016 BUENOS AIRES/CAPE TOWN
2020 CAPE TOWN/ BUENOS AIRES
2024 NEW YORK/TORONTO
2028 MELBOURNE
2032 TAHITI hehe

2012 LONDON
2016 BUENOS AIRES/CAPE TOWN
2020 CAPE TOWN/ BUENOS AIRES
2024 NEW YORK/TORONTO
2028 MELBOURNE
2032 TAHITI hehe
Not a bad list of potential cities but I think it will be a very long time before another Australian city gets the OGs

We had a thread about the games being hypothetically brought to Brissie. My proposal was to have the main Olympic Park in Victoria Park Golf Course. The Athletes Village would be built on Airport Land, north of what will become No.1 Airport Drive, and will be accessed by a trainline spur off from the AirTrain. The track would be duplicated from this spur to Eagle Junction. An Olympic Station would be built on the Exhibition line. It would be a great site, near the hospital, near the city, next to a train line. Boxing, Taekwando, gymnastics ect would be held in a new arena built on the RNA showgrounds(Accessed via Exhibition station). Beach Volleyball and the tri-athlon would both be held on the Gold Coast.

^^^

As I stated in the other forum, Pinkenba would be a prime location to hold something. It would need a major overhaul but because it's literally next to the aiport and there is loads of space, close to a rail link and close to the City, it would be an excellent spot.

Maybe Olympic village and Olympic Stadium could be there?

I was thinking about this today....what about the Mayne Railyards? Huge piece of land, close to city, on a major rail line.

2012 LONDON(England)
2016 A'OPO (West Samoa)
2020 NIQUERO (Cuba)
2024 ZVOLEN (Slovakia)
2028 GAR (Tibet)
2032 SHU (Kazakhstan
2036 DUBBO (Australia)

__________________

Zvolen's public transport would need to be upgraded first.

I pick London for 2012 and cities Id like to see have the Oympics would be Rio, Buenos Aires, Auckland and Cape Town. i think the Olympics might have to be downgraded to actually allow smaller nations the chance to host them. As for the next Australian city to host the games I say either Brisbane or Perth in the 2040's.

Perth for 2064 olympics think we will win.

Yep, Perth for 2064 Olympics. I would think Perth would be a better contender for the Olympics than Adelaide.

I think Buenos Aires would put on an amazing games, that would be great to see. If South Africa pulls off the Soccer world cup well then they'll have a great chance at having Cape Town hosting. I can imagine it all being very "happy happy inter-racial let's not mention apartheid" though.

I don't think the chances of Sydney and Melbourne hosting before Perth or Brisbane are very good though, not when there's so much money coming through Brisvegas and Perthzilla, plus our governments are really 'looking towards the future'.

On a different note, I'm quite interested to see what happens during the Beijing 2008 games. Taking into consideration the pollution, the seditious political undercurrents and the media focusing directly on the city, I won't be suprised if the games take the background to other events in the city.

there is a similar thread in Skybar

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=426519

I think Buenos Aires would put on an amazing games, that would be great to see. If South Africa pulls off the Soccer world cup well then they'll have a great chance at having Cape Town hosting. I can imagine it all being very "happy happy inter-racial let's not mention apartheid" though.

I don't think the chances of Sydney and Melbourne hosting before Perth or Brisbane are very good though, not when there's so much money coming through Brisvegas and Perthzilla, plus our governments are really 'looking towards the future'.

On a different note, I'm quite interested to see what happens during the Beijing 2008 games. Taking into consideration the pollution, the seditious political undercurrents and the media focusing directly on the city, I won't be suprised if the games take the background to other events in the city.

it'll be more like..happy happy join hands as africa we are as one inspiring an entire generation of african youth :)

Interesting that the two Australian host cities both won their bids by a slim margin. Actually Sydney only needed 1 vote to go the other way to Beijing for there to be a tie and Samaranch voting in Beijing's favour. Close call but a great games.

Here's a list of the cities that finished second in the vote from 1952-2008:

1952- Los Angeles, USA Minneapolis, USA
1956- Buenos Aires, Argentina
1960- Lausanne, Switzerland
1964- Detroit, USA
1968- Detroit, USA
1972- Detroit, USA
1976- Moscow, USSR
1980- Los Angeles, USA
1984- Los Angeles, USA* (only candidate) the nadir of the olympics :(
1988- Nagoya, Japan
1992- Paris, France
1996- Athens, Greece
2000- Beijing, China
2004- Rome, Italy
2008- Toronto, Canada

I have an idea what was said in Detroit after it ran second for the third time going for the '72 games...........f^%# this for a joke. :D (they haven't bid again)
They also bid for the 1944 and '56 games. Can't say they didn't try. You'd have to say it would be a long time now before Detroit has a chance to hold the games.

The olympics have come a long way in 20 years. Nobody wanted 'em in 1980 now cities lie, cheat, steal and bribe to get a chance to host them. :)

Sheesh how would you feel if you lived in Detroit in the mid 60's to early 70's. Talk about being always the bride's maid and never the bride. I reckon after that they just gave up.

Brisbane bid for the 1992 games. The bid was originally named Brisbane-Gold Coast 1992, but the IOC is against joint bidding, and it was just named Brisbane. three quarters of the venues werent in Brisbane, many were in Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Northern NSW.

Strange, accorrding to this page of the 1992 Brisbane bid book, showing "Brisbane's Olympic Plan", we can see a highly compact bid within Brisbane only.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b90/Lord_David/Brisbane1992Map.jpg