Australia: Queensland govt halts work on 2032 Olympics bid to focus on COVID-19

In a bid to focus on the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak, a senior international Olympic official John Coates reportedly said that he supports the decision by Queensland’s state government to postpone work for the 2032 Games. According to an international media outlet, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had confirmed the decision to postpone their work on the bid in a letter to the state parliament on May 22. 

Palaszczuk reportedly said that as Queensland’s and Australia’s focus has been placed on responding to coronavirus, the candidature leadership group agreed that the 2032 Games discussions be put on hold until further notice. After Palaszczuk statement, Coates, who is Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) President added that everyone understood there were pressing issues of public health and community well being for government to address. 

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Coates in a reported statement said that the candidature will have its role to play in terms of jobs and growth in the Queensland economy once that authorities have spent heir way through the current crisis. Coates further also said that the AOC had recommended in late March as well that it defer any meeting will all levels of government about the bid as they dealt with the deadly pandemic. 

Australia has hosted the Olympics twice, in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000. Coates, who is also the head of the International Olympic Committee’s inspectorate for Tokyo, even warned that Japanese organisers faced ‘real problems’ hosting the postponed 2020 games next year due to the unprecedented outbreak. 

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Australia eases lockdown restrictions 

Meanwhile, Australia is also reporting fewer than 20 new COVID-19 cases each day and the country has also committed to removing most social distancing restrictions by July to revive an ailing economy. With a lower number of cases, the country implemented a three-step plan to remove the remains restrictions and to ease the lockdown measures. Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW) also recently eased social distancing measures and allowed some cafes, restaurants, outdoor gyms, pools, and playgrounds to resume operation. 

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