QUEENSLAND 2032 GAMES-BID : OLYMPICS

Melbourne : Australia's northeastern state of Queensland will resume work on Brisbane's bid for the  2032 Olympics after shelving the project for six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said recently.

State premier Annastacia Palaszucuk said she would discuss funding arrangements for the bid with the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a national cabinet meeting.

''It's a partnership, so there was an agreement that the two governments would put the money into that, so I'm happy to those further discussions with the Prime Minister,'' she told reporters.

Palaszczuk added that the state's Olympics taskforce would reconvene in 2021 to work on the bid, which is centred on Brisbane but also involves staging events on the nearby Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

A number of countries have expressed interest in making a bid for 2032, including Germany, Spain, India, Indonesia and a joint bid from North and South Korea.

''Our bid in comparison to the rest of the world is a very strong bid,'' Australian Olympic Committee boss Kohn Coates told reporters.

''Most importantly is the support of the three levels of government, good community support, and the fact the timing is the opportunity to come out of Covid and to create jobs and to create growth.

''It's a good purpose that the IOC will be impressed with.''

Morrison met with international Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach in Japan last month to discuss Brisbane bid as well as the Tokyo Games, which were postponed to next year.

Paris is hosting the 2024 Games with Los Angeles confirmed for 2028. [Reuters]