Brisbane Racing Club has hit back at the Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate’s suggestion to demolish Doomben Racecourse for a new Olympic stadium.
Tate is proposing the site should be razed to make way for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, saying his idea makes sense.
“That location is primarily in a great location infrastructure-wise so people can get in and out of it,” he said.
Tate argues that it would be easier to build a new stadium at the racecourse rather than at Victoria Park.
“I bet you anything, the soil tests in Doomben would make it easier to construct,” he said.
“The soil tests on the other Victoria Park geotech report will show it’s hard to build there.”
The Gold Coast City Council has made its submissions to the 100-day Olympic venue review, also suggesting to host the swimming at the Aquatic Centre if it got a new roof.
But the plan is news to the Doomben Racecourse operators.
“Any plan that sees the end of racing at Doomben is a really problematic one,” Brisbane Racing Club chief executive Karl deKroo said.
“Tom has his own way of doing things and I think we all accept that’s the way he goes about it.
“Disappointed, yes. But surprised, probably not all that much.”
Brisbane Racing Club said both Doomben and Eagle Farm could instead support Olympic events like equestrian.
“I think there’s possibilities around training paddocks and or fields,” deKroo said.
The final decision will be up to the recently-appointed Infrastructure Authority, which will reveal its proposal for approval to the Queensland government.
The Infrastructure Authority’s 100-day review is due in March.
