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Sunshine Coast Council has unveiled its plans for a new indoor centre that will be enjoyed by the local community before, during and long after the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As planning steps up for the 2032 Games, Kawana has been chosen for the indoor sports centre that will have capacity for 11 courts and the ability to convert to a 6000-seat show court.

Set to be funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments under their Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games funding agreement with the cost to be determined once the design process is completed, the new venue is expected to be up and running in 2027.

Development within the Kawana sporting precinct will also see the Sunshine Coast Stadium expanded with an additional 10,768 fixed seats, taking total fixed seating capacity to 11,814.

By utilising the mounds at the northern and southern ends, the venue will have a total capacity of approximately 16,000 while additional temporary seating will be installed to boost the total seating capacity to 20,000 to accommodate the proposed 2032 Olympic Games football matches.

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor, Mark Jamieson said the expanded sports hub would benefit the entire community and visitors to the region for many decades, commenting “confirmation of the new Indoor Stadium at Kawana now provides the opportunity to develop our very own world-class sporting precinct here on the Sunshine Coast.”

Noting that the said the development of the Indoor Sports Centre at Kawana would benefit a range of groups and sports, including basketball, netball, volleyball, pickleball, futsal and badminton, Mayor Jamieson stated “importantly, it will provide an opportunity to design and construct a facility that will be leading edge in respect to accessibility and service to the many para-sports and athletes we have in the region.

“As part of the Future Host Questionnaire that was submitted to the International Olympic Committee Future Host Commission in May 2021, the Kawana Sports Precinct was presented as the preferred location to co-host the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games basketball competition.

“The Kawana location has now been confirmed with the Brisbane 2032 OCOG and the Queensland Government and planning and design works will start immediately with a view of commencing construction of the new indoor sports centre in 2025.

“This will result in the venue being available to our community in 2027, well before the proposed Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games basketball competition - which is exactly what our collective commitment to a 10+10+ legacy is all about.’’

Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic and Paralympic Games Infrastructure, Steven Miles, said the sports precinct at Kawana was well positioned to provide lasting benefits for the region, advising “we knew bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Queensland would deliver many benefits right across the state.

“The Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre will be one of six new sporting venues this government is investing in, and all of these venues will be ready for use well before the Games comes to Queensland.”

Deputy Premier Miles added “all Brisbane 2032 venues are planned with lasting benefits in mind to meet the demands of our growing Queensland population.”

Brisbane 2032 OCOG President Andrew Liveris said that OCOG was supportive that Kawana had been confirmed as the location for the 2032 Games venue.

Liveris explained “there has been significant input from subject matter experts confirming Kawana as the location for the Indoor Sports Centre, which aligns with the Brisbane 2032 candidature and Master Plan.”

The decision to develop the Indoor Sports Centre at Kawana follows a review of the site and another located in the Maroochydore City Centre. That proposal was for basketball to be hosted in the proposed (but not yet funded) Sunshine Coast Exhibition and Convention Centre, within the Maroochydore City Centre.

Images: Concept for the new Kawana indoor stadium (top), concept for the expanded Sunshine Coast Stadium (middle) and Sunshine Coast Council Mayor, Mark Jamieson with Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic and Paralympic Games Infrastructure, Steven Miles (below). Credit: Sunshine Coast Council.

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