Brisbane Will Host the 2032 Summer Olympics

Though spectators might not be able to cheer on their teams in person at this year's Olympic Games in Tokyo, there's a new event to look forward to; Brisbane, Australia, has officially been selected as the host of the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. This will mark Australia's third time hosting the games, after Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.

Interestingly, Brisbane ran uncontested as the only bid city left in the nomination process of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), meaning it was the de facto winner well before the formal announcement. Nevertheless, it received 72 votes in favor out of 77 in total.

The process of hosting the Olympics has come under scrutiny in recent years, as the economic burden placed on host cities often outweighs the Games' financial benefits. Hopefully, Brisbane will at least break even; The Guardian estimates that Brisbane will spend $5 billion to host the Games, while Brisbane itself estimates that its economy will get an $8.1 billion boost from the event primarily through jobs, tourism, and trade.

That said, these estimates have been known to be extremely inaccurate in the past, as budgets run amok. Plus, you never know when you'll have to cancel all spectator tickets due to a pandemic...

But Brisbane is optimistic that it will stay on track, largely because it already has quite a bit of sporting infrastructure in place. The city hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and upcoming sporting events include the UCI Road World Championships and the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, both in 2022 and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Brisbane also aims to make sustainability a major priority for the Games.

In the meantime, get ready to watch the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, which begin this week, followed by the 2024 Olympics in Paris and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.