Brisbane too far down under for Olympics?

Press, 15 January 1986, Page 26

Brisbane too far down under for Olympics?

By

RAY KERSHLER

AAP correspondent through NZPA AAP-NZPA LONDON As the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Sallyanne Atkinson, sweeps through Europe encouraging everyone in earshot to support Australia’s bid for the 1992 Olympic Games, there have to be doubts about the chances.

They are doubts though that have been there since the conception of Brisbane’s bid to host the Games for Australia.

They are doubts that Mrs Atkinson herself must harbour, but certainly never concedes.

The worry is that Brisbane, in spite of all its advantages for the rest of the sports world, will lose because of one reason — Australia is too far away. The further Mrs Atkinson travels, the more converts Australia will get on the 92member Olympic Committee which next year will eventually decide the venue. The geographical and fiscal fact is that not all those people who vote can be brought to see Brisbane and its venues, its accommodation, its climate and its people. Phil Coles, one of Australia’s representatives on the 1.0. C., said, “We have a secret that needs to be told to the world.”

The secret, to most of the rest of the world, is Brisbane’s preparedness for the

Games and the consummate ease with which the city could stage them, certainly considering the difficulties of its chief rivals, Barcelona and Birmingham. Several members of the 1.0. C. whose all-important votes will decide the venue are already stunned by the facilities available in Brisbane. But they are the minority who have actually been there.

One of the favourite stories of Australia’s touring Olympic troupe is the one about Pal Schmitt, the Hungarian representative on the lOC.

On a recent trip to Brisbane, having been shown round the sites he prepared to take a sight-seeing tour of the city. “Tell me,” he said, ’’which areas of the city are no-go areas?”

Says Coles, ”We were delighted to tell him there were no such things in Australian cities.”

Almost without exception 1.0. C. members who have been to Brisbane have left mentally, at least, casting their vote for what would be only the second Olympic Games in “Oceania.” Before Mrs Atkinson’s “site-seeing” trip to Birmingham, Dennis Howell, the British Labour member of Parliament for Birmingham, said he believed Barcelona was still favourite to host the Games with Birmingham and Brisbane running a close second.

Even the indomitable Mrs Atkinson had to concede that travel remains the biggest obstacle to Australia’s dream of hosting a second Olympic Games. “A major disadvantage,” she called it, but should the vote go Australia’s way negotiations are under way with Qantas and some of the other world airlines to counter the problem.

Australia has made no bones about the fact that the Aussie way of life has a lot more going for it than the environs of Barcelona or Birmingham.

Mrs Atkinson disclaimed any suggestions that Australia was playing “dirty sporting politics” by pointing out to 1.0. C. representatives and the world’s press the safety limitations of Birmingham (recent race riots) and Barcelona (unstable political conditions). “It’s honesty,” said Brisbane’s Lord Mayor. “We do not have terrorism and we do not have race riots.”

Honesty, however, will probably not be enough to win the bid for the 1992 Olympic Games for Brisbane.

The best policy may be to get each and every 1.0. C. representative to Brisbane to see personally the facilities available on site.

Then Australia might get the numbers, but that would take a lot of time, money ... and travel.