Hockey Australia has backed calls for a permanent and lasting hockey legacy from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
The current hockey infrastructure in Brisbane does not meet International Hockey Federation (FIH) standards. In a release this week, Hockey Australia said that the ratio of synthetic pitches to players and competitions is the lowest in Australia. Brisbane has not hosted an FIH-sanctioned event since the Champions Trophy in 1999.
Presently, the venue plan set out by the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) is to place temporary ‘drop-in’ synthetic hockey pitches and stadium infrastructure at the Ballymore Rugby Union precinct.
Together with Hockey Queensland, Hockey Australia is adamant the state needs and deserves to have a new facility that can host national and international hockey events and be utilised by the Queensland hockey community for decades to come.
“Queensland is a burgeoning and successful hockey state that has produced a multitude of our best Hockeyroos and Kookaburras,” said Hockey Australia CEO David Pryles.
“Establishing a dedicated, purpose built and permanent hockey facility is integral to this. Hockey is one of our most successful Olympic sports and has 1.4 million people across Australia engaged with the sport.”
“This is a crucial and perfect time to invest in creating a lasting legacy that will have positive long terms impacts for not only hockey, but the broader Australian sporting community,” said Pryles.
“We are a proud and successful sporting nation and new infrastructure for hockey in Brisbane is long overdue.
“This will ensure the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras remain among the world’s best, while inspiring future generations to pick up a hockey stick, be active and reap the physical and mental benefits that being involved in sport provide.”
Australia is the third most successful country in securing multiple Olympic medals in hockey. Notably, the only Summer Olympic sport that has seen other countries secure more medals is swimming which ranks second behind the USA on the total medal count.
“The runway to the 2032 Olympic Games and beyond is a great opportunity for the sport of hockey to investigate new sustainable infrastructure, which will assist hockey continue to be Australia’s most successful Olympic team sport,” said Hockey Queensland CEO Alison Lyons.
“Sixty-two Queenslanders have represented Australian Olympic Hockey Teams (22% of the teams) and 40 of those are Olympic Medallists.”
“Queensland has clearly made a significant and invaluable contribution to the success of Australia’s most successful Olympic team sport. If we want to continue to develop world class hockey players in Queensland, we need to continue to provide the right environment for them to train and compete.”
