What’s Happening?
Townsville has taken its place in the Brisbane 2032 story, with Castle Hill hosting the second stop in Queensland’s staged emblem reveal.
Former National Rugby League players Johnathan Thurston AOM and Sam Thaiday were among those gathered for the unveiling. They joined Brisbane 2032 Chief Sport Officer Kit McConnell, Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto and Queensland Sports Minister Tim Mander.
The event gave Townsville an early role in shaping how Brisbane 2032 is presented across Queensland. It also turned attention towards the city’s place in the Games and what the event could mean for regional communities.
Only part of the emblem has been shown so far, leaving its final form open to plenty of guessing. With more pieces still to be revealed, Townsville’s contribution has added another clue before the full design is shown on Monday.
Why It Matters
For Thurston, Brisbane 2032 gives young North Queensland athletes something tangible to aim for while bringing major international sport closer to home.
“The Olympics I think comes around every four years and you’re very lucky to get it in your state or in your city, so to host an Olympic event, I think we’ve got two here in Townsville with football, as in soccer, and also the sailing I think, so yeah, very excited as a local that we’re getting two world-class events here in our backyard. Young people now have got that goal where they could be, you know, playing at a stadium or being in the sailing here, where they can, you know, do an Olympic sport and then have the support of not only Australia but the locals around you as well, like it’s going to be pretty epic,” Thurston said.
He said Brisbane 2032 could already become a target for teenagers competing across regional Queensland.
“If our teenagers are now that are aspiring to be athletes, 2032 is a great goal to have to make the Australian Olympic team, like that would be epic. Imagine a 16-year-old in Brisbane or North Queensland that’s, you know, breaking records in swimming or athletics or whatever sport it may be, and then going on that path to the 2032 Olympics, like, I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.”
Thurston said the same opportunity could inspire even younger athletes who will reach senior competition age before the Games.
“You know, if you’re a 12-, 13-, 14-year-old at the moment, you know, in six years’ time, hopefully you’re inspired to be a part of the Olympic Games for Australia. We’ve seen what’s happened in the past when there’s been Olympics, and to have a world-class event here in our own backyard, like, really I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it, so it’s very exciting for regional Queensland and it is a game for Queenslanders, so no doubt they’ll all get out and support, you know, Australia when they’re playing in the Olympics, so it’s very exciting and, yeah, it’s great to be a part of it.”
Local Impact
Mayor Nick Dametto said Townsville’s place in Brisbane 2032 gives North Queensland a direct connection to the Games.
“As Mayor of Townsville I’m very proud to be one of the host cities for the 2032 Olympics. We’ve got a number of sports that could be played here, but ear-tagged is soccer and the sailing of course. To hold the second piece of the emblem today here in Townsville as it’s been discovered makes me immensely proud. Not knowing exactly what it is, but being able to guess what this is, adds a little bit of mystery as we go through the journey of unveiling the emblem over the next couple of days,” Cr Dametto said.
He said Townsville’s host-city status also showed the Games would extend beyond South East Queensland.
“Now for Townsville to be a part of the Olympics and be a host city, it means we’re included in all of Queensland. We’re the capital of Northern Australia as far as we’re concerned, by population we already are and now we’re starting to act like that. Townsville is a great city, great people and to be a part of the Olympics makes us all proud.”
Dametto also wants visitors to spend time across Townsville and the wider North Queensland region during the Games period.
“When you come to Townsville I want you to enjoy Townsville, meet the people, get over to Magnetic Island, go north, east and west and enjoy places like Charters Towers, Ingham and the Burdekin as well. Townsville is a beautiful city, but there’s so much to discover, I want you to stay for a couple of weeks.”
Castle Hill provided a fitting setting for the reveal, with Dametto pointing to the surrounding coastline and its connection with sailing.
“As Mayor of Townsville it makes me immensely proud to have day two of the unveiling of the emblem here in Townsville and Castle Hill. You can see behind me, not only do we have great sports stars and good people, but we’ve also got what will be the backdrop for what could be part of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games with the sailing right behind us. Townsville is an iconic location in Queensland and having this emblem unveiled here is something that I’m very proud of.”
By The Numbers
- Townsville has two sports linked with the city, with soccer and sailing identified during the Castle Hill event.
- Brisbane 2032 is now less than six years away, as the emblem rollout continues across Queensland.
- Five billion people watched Paris 2024, highlighting the potential global audience for Townsville and Queensland in 2032.
Zoom In
The incomplete emblem added a lighter element to the Castle Hill event, with Thurston and Thaiday offering their own guesses about the design.
Thurston initially linked the shape with Queensland’s Sunshine State identity.
“If I was going to guess, I reckon, because we are the Sunshine State, I reckon it could be the sun with the rays, so that’s my guess,” he said.
The former Cowboys star later introduced Thaiday to the reveal after the pair found the second piece that morning.
“G’day, everyone, I got a call from Thorpy yesterday saying that there might be an unveiling here today, so I’ve got Semmy to come along, we come up this morning and found the second part of the emblem, so Semmy, have you got any ideas what it might be?”
Thaiday was less certain and joked about his former Queensland teammate while considering the possibilities.
“I’m unsure, I’ve had a bit of a think about it, I’ve had a feel, I’ve had a touch, like I said, it’s a bit too small to be one of JT’s ears, so it’s not that, maybe a bit of flame, a leaf off a tree maybe, but very excited and happy to be a part of all of this with me old team-mate as well, JT, so, JT, what do you think it is?”
Thurston stuck with his first theory, replying, “I think it might be some rays from the sun, we are the sunshine state, so that’s my guess.”
Thaiday then linked his own flame theory with young athletes who could compete at a home Olympics.
“Yeah, I’m really unsure actually, I’ve already kind of made a small guess that this might be maybe a bit of a flame, you know, hopefully there’s a burning desire within young kids out there at the moment that are aspiring to compete in a home Olympics here in Australia and here in Queensland, but, yeah, I don’t know, it’s kind of hard, I am a little bit creative, but my juices aren’t flowing this morning.”
He said enthusiasm for the Games was already evident in his own family.
“As soon as it was announced and we knew that we’ll be hosting it here in Queensland, my daughters were super excited, you know, what sports are going to be in it, dad asked her, you know, if they could join a local little athletics club, so it’s exciting times, not just for kids, for adults, big kids as well. Yeah, I hope there’s young kids that are out there at the moment that are inspired and want to showcase their talent for the world.”
Thaiday also used the event to promote Townsville to people who could visit during Brisbane 2032.
“Top three things to do when you come to Townsville, well, you definitely have to make sure that you walk up Castle Hill or run up it like I did today. I’m like, yeah, I’ve ran up it three times today, but, yeah, it’s such a great viewing point here at Castle Hill, you can pretty much see the whole of Townsville, that’s something I’ll always encourage you to do.”
He also pointed towards Magnetic Island and The Strand as local attractions.
“You’ve definitely got a Maggie Island over my shoulder here, you’ve got to make sure that you head over to Magnetic Island as well, try and do some koala spotting, there’s some beautiful little beaches and stuff over there as well, and, you know what, like, Townsville is a beautiful place to just get up and go for a walk, and there’s no better place to go for a walk than down the Strand. You can just do manies, walk up and down, I’m a people watcher, so walking up and down the Strand is something I love doing.”
Zoom Out
Brisbane 2032 Chief Sport Officer Kit McConnell said the Games emblem would carry meaning well beyond the competition period.
“An Olympic and Paralympic emblem is much more than just a logo or a mark, it’s about the individual identity, about the personality of every Games that’s held in each individual country, so the unveiling of our Olympic and Paralympic emblem here in Brisbane in a few days’ time is a huge step on our journey. It’s a chance for us to tell the world who we are as Brisbane 2032, who we are as Queensland, and bring that to life over the six years ahead of the Games, the two weeks of the Olympic Games, the two weeks of the Paralympic Games, but as we’ve seen from emblems from previous Games, they live on forever,” McConnell said.
He pointed to earlier Games as examples of how an emblem can remain strongly associated with a host city.
“We look back at Sydney 2000, we look right back to Barcelona and the other iconic emblems that have been brought forward, and they still bring us emotion about what those Games meant, so it’s a huge step for us and a really important one in telling part of our journey about who we are, our personality, and bringing us to life.”
McConnell said Townsville could also gain significant international exposure when the Games arrive.
“As the Minister said, when we look over our shoulder here, it’s just incredible what we see, and that’s what the world is going to see in just six years’ time. Five billion people watch Paris 2024, even more are going to watch LA28, and even more than that are going to be seeing Townsville and Queensland in just six years’ time.”
Queensland Minister for Sport, Racing and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander said the statewide reveal was also intended to showcase regional Queensland.
“Well one of the reasons that we’re revealing the emblem across the state is because we want to showcase it to the rest of Australia and of course the rest of the world and look at the Great Barrier Reef, the islands, the rainforest, the beaches. Queensland has so much to offer and our tourism figures are already up, they’re even going to go even further up in the future,” Mander said.
He said the presence of major sport in regional communities could also inspire younger athletes.
“We keep hearing from athletes, high performing athletes, how they were inspired by an event or by an athlete when they were a young person. We’re hearing the same thing now when we talk to the young people in the regions, they can now really imagine and it can become a reality that they can also perform at the highest level, so not just in the south east corner, not just in the big cities, right throughout the state.”
Mander said the benefits could also include investment in local sporting facilities and activity before the Games begin.
“Well one of the things that our regions can really enjoy is the fact that we’re going to invest in grass root community infrastructure for our sporting clubs, whether it’s lights, whether it’s dressing rooms, whether it’s canteens, whether it’s playing fields, that’s part of the legacy, but also leading to the Games, the number of people in countries that will want to come and acclimatise, get used to the travel that’s required in our country to get here in the first place, that all means it’s not just the six weeks of the Games, it is actually the six years leading into the Games and of course the benefits that will kick in after that as well.”
What To Look For Next?
McConnell said the Castle Hill reveal had moved the process another stage forward while keeping the final design under wraps.
“And this piece of the emblem here today is another really important step in that journey. As the Minister said, on Monday we’ll unveil the full emblem, I think we’re all excited and thinking about what it might be, maybe a sun, as you said JT, to bring the weather of Queensland to life.”
Mander said Townsville followed Cairns as the second stop in the statewide rollout, with more pieces to come before Monday’s full reveal.
“Thanks boys, and knowing these two from my NRL days, I’d like to hazard a guess but I’m pretty sure they’d chuck a captain’s challenge pretty quickly, no matter what I said, but it is exciting to be in Townsville, another one of our co-host cities for the Games of 2032, which are now less than six years away, and what we are doing is travelling the state to reveal the emblem day by day. Today is our second day, we were in Cairns yesterday of course, and today this is another element of the emblem which will culminate on Monday when we’ll do the full release.”
Townsville’s piece remains one part of the larger emblem, with the complete Brisbane 2032 design still to come. Townsville now has its piece of the Brisbane 2032 story, but the biggest question remains unanswered. Is Thurston right about the sun and its rays? Queensland will find out when the complete emblem is revealed on Monday.
