Paralympics Boost as Training Centre Pledged for UQ

The Queensland government will team with the University of Queensland to develop a $88-million para-athlete training facility ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. 

The potential long-term home for Paralympics Australia in Brisbane would provide a long-lasting legacy, according to the partners.

The Paralympic Centre of Excellence would be located at the university’s St Lucia campus.

The world-class training facilities would be jointly funded by the two parties with the state government lobbying the federal government to match its commitment. 

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the centre would include international-standard sporting venues and a wheelchair/prosthetics workshop for para-athletes.

“A Paralympic Centre of Excellence inspires more para-athletes to compete in 2032,” Palaszczuk said.

“This is what legacy is all about: the lasting benefits to our community long after the closing ceremonies.”

▲ Twenty-two full-time staff would work at the Paralympic Centre of Excellence at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus.

Construction is proposed to begin in 2025-2026 and completion is slated for 2028. It would accommodate training for 20 of the 23 paralympic sports to be contested at the Games in 2032.

“This will be the first centre of excellence of its kind in the world, combining leading research, sport technology, rehabilitation, and a potential runway to a paralympics medal podium in 2032,” sport minister Stirling Hinchliffe said. 

Paralympics Australia president Jock O’Callaghan said he looked forward to further progressment of the world-leading Olympics and Paralympics plan with the federal government.

“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,” O’Callaghan said. 

With the support from the state government and funds from the university itself, 22 full-time staff will be allocated, with hopes to convert 75 per cent of the 4.3 million Australians living with disabilities into sports participants. 

University of Queensland vice-chancellor Deborah Terry said the partnership would enable the university to develop a world-leading paralympic facility on campus. 

“The centre will be a lasting legacy, supporting more people with disabilities to access sport and strive for gold beyond 2032,” she said.