“Let’s not miss this chance” Matt Carroll’s message to the organizers of Brisbane 2032

Back on July 21, 2021, when the Olympic world was going through the hours before the start of the Tokyo 2020 Games, Brisbane celebrated the choice of the city to host the 2032 Games. Although Australia already has two games under its belt - Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000 - this will be the first time that they will be held in that city.

With two Games still ahead - Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 - it seems far away to talk about organization, list of sports or venues, but the message is clear. “What we have here is an opportunity to partner with sports, education and health,” said Matt Carroll, CEO of the Australian Olympic Committee.

Carroll’s words were addressed to the organization of the Games and gave a deep reflection on the Olympic legacy left by the 2000 Games. “I think we could have done more. There’s one part that I still think we probably didn’t do quite right, and that’s how to push for real change in the use of sports power for the benefit of the community.”

Although in Sydney, Australia won 58 medals, including 16 gold medals, being the best performance in its history, Carroll believes that medals are not a legacy in itself. “A healthy nation is a happy nation, a supportive and productive nation, and how can health be promoted in the community? Through sports,” he told the Brisbane Courier Mail. “It’s not just waiting for inspiration from the Games in 2032: there is a partnership between sport, health and education, and they must be coordinated at the local, provincial (Queensland, in this case) and national levels.”

The city has the enormous advantage of having almost 80% of the stadiums and venues in good condition. Clearly, this relaxes one of the greatest tensions faced by any organization of this magnitude, which is budgetary stress.

Somehow, this reality modifies the immediate challenges for the Committee. So, thinking about encouraging the community to approach recreational activity and promoting sports as a key tool for education and health, they recover the true dimension of their value. This is true for any society. It is also true for cities that once hosted an event of such magnitude on their streets. It’s not just about enjoying the moment but also about preventing what has been done from being forgotten.

It is ungrateful to relate this image to what happened at the first Olympic game of the 21st century. In fact, Sydney hosted an extraordinary tournament from the concept of an Olympic village whose apartments were acquired by the community with very convenient credits to an opening ceremony in which it was explained to the world that an Olympic stadium could become a gigantic 3D space: the image of the girl Nikki Webster floating in the air while giving away endearing artistic moments does not allow us to lie.

Anyway, Carroll’s warning is interesting. On one hand, any citizen of the planet who has ever visited this land will have found it very easy to notice the enthusiasm of the average Australian for all kinds of sports; not only as a spectator but, fundamentally, as a fan of the activity. Obviously, for Carroll, there is still room to improve.

On the other hand, when it comes to building a link between Australia and Olympism, it is always good to remember that it is a nation that participated in all the summer Olympic Games as well as in the winter ones, continuously starting in 1936, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I don’t need to explain too much to them how difficult it must have been to get to cities like London (1908) or Los Angeles (1932) from such remote lands. Even so, the Australians were always present. And it wasn’t just a matter of participating. The potential of this country’s sport can be seen in its 10th place in the historic medal table by nation, with almost 550 medals in total (164 gold).

However, the most important and profound part of Carroll’s message involves a logic that not many governments have with regard to the health, recreation and education of their societies: much of what complicates and worries us can find a break from the hand of sports. At all levels.