Featured image credit: Sunshine Coast Council
The Sunshine Coast is set to receive a “world-class sporting precinct” through the announcement of the development of a new indoor sports centre, plus the expansion of Sunshine Coast Stadium, ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As planning steps up for the Games, hosting rights to which were awarded in July 2021, Kawana has been chosen for the project. Sunshine Coast Council, in conjunction with Brisbane 2032 Games Delivery Partners, will deliver a new international indoor sports centre that will have capacity for 11 courts and the ability to convert to a 6,000-seat show court.
The decision to develop the Indoor Sports Centre at Kawana followed a review of the site and another located in the Maroochydore City Centre. That proposal was for basketball at the Games to be hosted in the proposed, but not yet funded, Sunshine Coast Exhibition and Convention Centre.
The new complex is expected to be up and running in 2027. It will be funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments under their Brisbane 2032 funding agreement, with the cost to be determined once the design process is completed.
Sunshine Coast Council Mayor, Mark Jamieson, said: “Confirmation of the new Indoor Stadium at Kawana now provides the opportunity to develop our very own world-class sporting precinct here on the Sunshine Coast. Without a doubt, the Sunshine Coast will once again be the envy of other regional areas across the country.”
Meanwhile, the expansion of Sunshine Coast Stadium has been set to begin next year, delivering an additional 10,768 fixed seats, taking total fixed seating capacity to 11,814. By utilising the mounds at the northern and southern ends, the stadium will have a total capacity of approximately 16,000. Additional temporary seating can be installed to boost the total seating capacity to 20,000 to accommodate the proposed 2032 Olympic Games football matches.
Regarding the Indoor Sports Centre, Jamieson added: “Importantly, it will provide an opportunity to design and construct a facility that will be leading edge in respect to accessibility and service to the many para-sports and athletes we have in the region.
“As part of the Future Host Questionnaire that was submitted to the International Olympic Committee Future Host Commission in May 2021, the Kawana Sports Precinct was presented as the preferred location to co-host the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games basketball competition.
“The Kawana location has now been confirmed with the Brisbane 2032 OCOG and the Queensland Government and planning and design works will start immediately with a view of commencing construction of the new indoor sports centre in 2025.
“This will result in the venue being available to our community in 2027, well before the proposed Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games basketball competition – which is exactly what our collective commitment to a 10+10+ legacy is all about.”
Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic and Paralympic Games Infrastructure, Steven Miles, stated: “The Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre will be one of six new sporting venues this government is investing in, and all of these venues will be ready for use well before the Games comes to Queensland.
“Located at Kawana as part of the Sunshine Coast Sport Precinct, the new indoor sports centre will inspire the next generation of Sunshine Coast athletes, support growth, and play host to one of the most significant sporting events in the world.
“All Brisbane 2032 venues are planned with lasting benefits in mind to meet the demands of our growing Queensland population. It cements the Sunshine Coast’s importance during the Games and delivers legacy benefits for decades to come.”
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