Gabba to be demolished after 2032 Olympic Games

SYDNEY, Mar 25 (AFP): Australia will build a 63,000-seat stadium for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, officials said Tuesday as they confirmed the storied "Gabba" cricket ground would be demolished after the event.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli detailed a slew of Olympic upgrades that included the new Brisbane Stadium in the heart of the city and an aquatic centre that could host 25,000 fans.

"Finally, Queensland has a plan. The time has come to just get on with it. And get on with it we will," Crisafulli told reporters.

He said the new stadium would replace the aging Brisbane Cricket Ground -- nicknamed the "Gabba" for its Woolloongabba location -once the Games were over.

"The vision our government has beyond the Games also includes the Gabba coming down to make way for urban renewal," Crisafulli said.

"Wouldn't it be amazing to see the Australian cricket team win gold at an Olympic final? The Gabba's swan song."

Queensland Cricket said the Gabba had been a "wonderful venue for cricket for many years", but faced a string of "well documented" challenges.

Opened in 1895, the pace-friendly Gabba cricket pitches have earned a sinister reputation among touring sides over the years.

The Queensland capital was awarded the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics in July 2021, returning the Games to Australia for a third time after Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000.

Two years

ago, the state's then centre-left Labor government announced plans to expand the Gabba cricket ground and create a new 17,000-seat indoor stadium for the Games.