Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced the state government's support for a Paralympic Centre of Excellence at the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus.
The facility is intended to help participation and training for para-athletes in the lead to the 2032 Olympic Games and beyond. The state government will dedicate $44 million towards the establishment of the centre and is asking the federal government to match support.
Preliminary renders indicate the proposed centre will be connected to an adjacent Health and Recreation Centre at University of Queensland. Construction is forecast to begin in 2025-26, for completion by 2027-28. An architect has not yet been appointed for the project.
The facility will include an international standard sports venue, a wheelchair and prosthetics workshop, and a dedicated testing facility, and will cater for 20 out of 23 listed Paralympic sports. As well as providing a paralympics training facility, Palaszczuk said the facility will have with long-lasting benefits for the community long after the games. It will also provide placement and study opportunities for the University of Queensland's students in sports sciences subjects.
According to sports minister Stirling Hinchliffe, the Paralympic Centre of Excellence facility will be the first Centre of Excellence of its kind anywhere in the world, combining leading research, sports technology and rehabilitation under one roof.
The Queensland government stated that of the 4.3 million Australians living with a disability, around one in four participates in sport, while 75 percent would like to. Hinchliffe hopes the centre will set a new benchmark for sports inclusion, creating grassroots opportunities for community activities through to the Paralympics.
Vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland Deborah Terry said the partnership with the Queensland government and Paralympics Australia provides an opportunity to deliver a "world-leading" Paralympic facility in Brisbane. "The centre will be a lasting legacy, supporting more people with disabilities to access sport and strive for gold beyond 2032," said Terry.
President of Paralympics Australia Jock O'Callaghan said the project was an "overwhelming demonstration" that the Brisbane 2032 Olympics can deliver tangible outcomes for for the community that will outlive the games.
"This proposed development can not only produce future Paralympic champions and develop world-leading sporting expertise, but importantly, provide a range of opportunities to improve the lives of Australians living with a disability," said O'Callaghan.
