Latest news with #Brisbane2032
The Age
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Ibis, wombat or blue heeler? Former Bluey designer steps up in 2032 mascot quest
'I want the Olympic mascot to be something we can actually be proud of, something that's authentic to who we are and leaves no one behind... 'As far as I know, I'm one of the few people experienced in leading big design teams in showcasing Brisbane to the world.' Drummond was Bluey's original lead designer but quit the show after its first season. 'If you draw one background on Bluey, you've kind of drawn them all, and I had quite literally drawn every background on Bluey, more or less, at that point,' she said. 'I think ultimately that was the right decision, even though it was, you know, the opportunity of a lifetime.' Drummond said she in fact teamed up with her former colleagues at Ludo Studio to petition the Palaszczuk government back in 2022 for a chance to design the mascot. She said it was unlikely that Bluey herself could be the Olympic mascot due to rights issues with the BBC and Disney. 'If we can't get Bluey as the mascot, why not the next best thing, which would be the people who designed Bluey?' she said. Ludo Studio was approached for comment. Drummond said that designing Olympic mascots was a risky enterprise. 'Trying to represent everything and everyone, you end up representing no one,' she said. The much-criticised Wenlock and Mandeville, mascots of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, were an example of what could go wrong. 'Behold the one-eyed compromise monster,' jeered the Toronto Globe and Mail at the time, comparing the mascots to 'a drunken one-night stand between a Teletubby and a Dalek'. 'I'm sure [the Brisbane mascot] should have some kind of a sense of humour about it,' Drummond said. 'I think it should represent our amazing wildlife in some shape or form. And beyond that, it's just a matter of opening it up to the community.' The Brisbane 2032 spokesperson would not say whether the design would be chosen through a public competition as was Borobi, the koala mascot of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Back in 2022, former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that the mascot would be chosen by public vote, while former tourism minister Stirling Hinchliffe hoped it would be an ibis. Palm cockatoos, koalas, dugongs and 'Fatso' the wombat, a joke mascot first proposed by comedians Roy and HG for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, have also featured in the discussion. After 24 hours Drummond's post had 1300 likes and plenty of supportive comments. 'If I was the CEO of Olympics you'd have the job yesterday'; 'You would be perfect for this'; and 'Olympics! Hire this woman now!' were some of the responses. A Queenslander currently based in Melbourne, Drummond said that her Instagram post was aimed less at the Organising Committee and more at creative agencies. 'I think if I could pair up with an advertising agency that I could trust to do a good job, that would probably be the best scenario in all of this,' she said.
Sydney Morning Herald
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ibis, wombat or blue heeler? Former Bluey designer steps up in 2032 mascot quest
'I want the Olympic mascot to be something we can actually be proud of, something that's authentic to who we are and leaves no one behind... 'As far as I know, I'm one of the few people experienced in leading big design teams in showcasing Brisbane to the world.' Drummond was Bluey's original lead designer but quit the show after its first season. 'If you draw one background on Bluey, you've kind of drawn them all, and I had quite literally drawn every background on Bluey, more or less, at that point,' she said. 'I think ultimately that was the right decision, even though it was, you know, the opportunity of a lifetime.' Drummond said she in fact teamed up with her former colleagues at Ludo Studio to petition the Palaszczuk government back in 2022 for a chance to design the mascot. She said it was unlikely that Bluey herself could be the Olympic mascot due to rights issues with the BBC and Disney. 'If we can't get Bluey as the mascot, why not the next best thing, which would be the people who designed Bluey?' she said. Ludo Studio was approached for comment. Drummond said that designing Olympic mascots was a risky enterprise. 'Trying to represent everything and everyone, you end up representing no one,' she said. The much-criticised Wenlock and Mandeville, mascots of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, were an example of what could go wrong. 'Behold the one-eyed compromise monster,' jeered the Toronto Globe and Mail at the time, comparing the mascots to 'a drunken one-night stand between a Teletubby and a Dalek'. 'I'm sure [the Brisbane mascot] should have some kind of a sense of humour about it,' Drummond said. 'I think it should represent our amazing wildlife in some shape or form. And beyond that, it's just a matter of opening it up to the community.' The Brisbane 2032 spokesperson would not say whether the design would be chosen through a public competition as was Borobi, the koala mascot of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Back in 2022, former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that the mascot would be chosen by public vote, while former tourism minister Stirling Hinchliffe hoped it would be an ibis. Palm cockatoos, koalas, dugongs and 'Fatso' the wombat, a joke mascot first proposed by comedians Roy and HG for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, have also featured in the discussion. After 24 hours Drummond's post had 1300 likes and plenty of supportive comments. 'If I was the CEO of Olympics you'd have the job yesterday'; 'You would be perfect for this'; and 'Olympics! Hire this woman now!' were some of the responses. A Queenslander currently based in Melbourne, Drummond said that her Instagram post was aimed less at the Organising Committee and more at creative agencies. 'I think if I could pair up with an advertising agency that I could trust to do a good job, that would probably be the best scenario in all of this,' she said.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Paralympic chief challenges Brisbane 2032 organizers to top the success of Sydney
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — There was no better day to urge the people of Brisbane to do better than the benchmarks Sydney set for the Paralympics. International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons' visit to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic host city Wednesday coincided with the start of the annual rugby league grudge match that is the State of Origin series. 'Without doubt, the year 2000 was a gamechanger and provided the foundations from which we could advance the Paralympic Games and wider Paralympic movement,' Parsons told a gathering at a Brisbane riverside restaurant, hyping Sydney's overwhelming success in staging the Olympics and Paralympics almost 25 years ago. 'After the tremendous success of Barcelona 1992, and the troublesome experiences of Atlanta 1996, the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games got the Paralympic movement back on track with a sensational showcase of sport.' Challenge set Sydney is the capital of New South Wales state. Brisbane, capital of Queensland state, has another seven years to prepare and improve on that Games legacy. The sporting rivalry between the neighboring eastern Australian states is intense, with the three-match Origin series highlighting the Queensland desire to upstage big sister, Sydney. Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Games in 2021 but it took more than 1,340 days before a new state government finalized the venue plans that center around a new main stadium and aquatics venue built in a downtown parkland precinct. What Sydney did to raise the profile of athletes, ticket sales and broadcast audiences for the Paralympics, Brisbane organizers aim to do in terms of setting new benchmarks for accessibility in the design of venues, buildings and transport. 'You've got to get to a point as a global look at accessibility, in other words people with disabilities, as being standard in the design. As First Nations, and including their culture, as standard in what we do. Environment, and certification of buildings and treating the environment well, as standard," Andrew Liveris, president of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee, said. 'We're not there (yet), but we can set that standard. We will be, as an Olympic and Paralympic Games, the standard bearer." With the start of venue construction and the finalizing of the sports program not expected until late next year, Liveris said there's time to ensure the end results are accounted for in the planning. A big ticket item Parsons said Sydney was the first Paralympics to sell tickets — 1.2 million were sold and Australia topped the medal standings. It launched a new era for the Games. There were 2.5 million tickets sold for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where 4,400 Para athletes competed and 168 national Paralympic Committees sent teams. 'In terms of ticket sales, the Paralympic Games are now the world's third biggest sport event with only the Olympic Games and men's FIFA World Cup selling more,' Parsons said, adding that Paralympic-related internet searches 'broke the 1 billion barrier.' 'The main driver for the increasing global appeal of the Paralympic Games is the constantly improving quality of sport, level and depth of competition, and the performances of Para athletes,' Parsons said. 'Progress in the last 25 years has been emphatic.' Based on his past visits and his knowledge of planning already, Parsons said Brisbane is 'starting from a position of strength definitely in terms of accessibility." 'But you can always improve," he added. 'We cannot be satisfied until we have 100% of everything accessible, and I'm absolutely sure that this is the objective here.' ___ AP Olympics at John Pye, The Associated Press
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Paralympic chief challenges Brisbane 2032 organizers to top the success of Sydney
There was no better day to urge the people of Brisbane to do better than the benchmarks Sydney set for the Paralympics. International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons' visit to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic host city Wednesday coincided with the start of the annual rugby league grudge match that is the State of Origin series. 'Without doubt, the year 2000 was a gamechanger and provided the foundations from which we could advance the Paralympic Games and wider Paralympic movement,' Parsons told a gathering at a Brisbane riverside restaurant, hyping Sydney's overwhelming success in staging the Olympics and Paralympics almost 25 years ago. 'After the tremendous success of Barcelona 1992, and the troublesome experiences of Atlanta 1996, the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games got the Paralympic movement back on track with a sensational showcase of sport.' Challenge set Sydney is the capital of New South Wales state. Brisbane, capital of Queensland state, has another seven years to prepare and improve on that Games legacy. The sporting rivalry between the neighboring eastern Australian states is intense, with the three-match Origin series highlighting the Queensland desire to upstage big sister, Sydney. Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Games in 2021 but it took more than 1,340 days before a new state government finalized the venue plans that center around a new main stadium and aquatics venue built in a downtown parkland precinct. What Sydney did to raise the profile of athletes, ticket sales and broadcast audiences for the Paralympics, Brisbane organizers aim to do in terms of setting new benchmarks for accessibility in the design of venues, buildings and transport. 'You've got to get to a point as a global look at accessibility, in other words people with disabilities, as being standard in the design. As First Nations, and including their culture, as standard in what we do. Environment, and certification of buildings and treating the environment well, as standard," Andrew Liveris, president of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee, said. 'We're not there (yet), but we can set that standard. We will be, as an Olympic and Paralympic Games, the standard bearer." With the start of venue construction and the finalizing of the sports program not expected until late next year, Liveris said there's time to ensure the end results are accounted for in the planning. A big ticket item Parsons said Sydney was the first Paralympics to sell tickets — 1.2 million were sold and Australia topped the medal standings. It launched a new era for the Games. There were 2.5 million tickets sold for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where 4,400 Para athletes competed and 168 national Paralympic Committees sent teams. 'In terms of ticket sales, the Paralympic Games are now the world's third biggest sport event with only the Olympic Games and men's FIFA World Cup selling more,' Parsons said, adding that Paralympic-related internet searches 'broke the 1 billion barrier.' 'The main driver for the increasing global appeal of the Paralympic Games is the constantly improving quality of sport, level and depth of competition, and the performances of Para athletes,' Parsons said. 'Progress in the last 25 years has been emphatic.' Based on his past visits and his knowledge of planning already, Parsons said Brisbane is 'starting from a position of strength definitely in terms of accessibility." 'But you can always improve," he added. 'We cannot be satisfied until we have 100% of everything accessible, and I'm absolutely sure that this is the objective here.'
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Paralympic chief challenges Brisbane 2032 organizers to top the success of Sydney 2000
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — There was no better day to urge the people of Brisbane to do better than the benchmarks Sydney set for the Paralympics. International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons' visit to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic host city Wednesday coincided with the start of the annual rugby league grudge match that is the State of Origin series, whether planned or otherwise. 'Without doubt, the year 2000 was a gamechanger and provided the foundations from which we could advance the Paralympic Games and wider Paralympic movement,' Parsons told a gathering at Brisbane riverside restaurant, hyping Sydney's overwhelming success in staging the Olympics and Paralympics almost 25 years ago. 'After the tremendous success of Barcelona 1992, and the troublesome experiences of Atlanta 1996, the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games got the Paralympic movement back on track with a sensational showcase of sport.' Challenge laid Sydney is the capital of New South Wales state. Brisbane, capital of Queensland state, has another seven years to prepare to improve on that Games legacy. The sporting rivalry between the neighboring eastern Australian states is intense, with the three-match Origin series highlighting the Queensland desire to upstage big sister Sydney. Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Games in 2021 but it took more than 1,340 days before a new state government finalized the venue plans that center around new main stadium and aquatics venue built in a downtown parkland precinct. What Sydney did to raise the profile of athletes, ticket sales and broadcast audiences for the Paralympics, Brisbane organizers aim to do in terms of setting new benchmarks for accessibility in the design of venues, buildings and transport. 'You've got to get to a point as a global look at accessibility, in other words people with disabilities, as being standard in the design. As First Nations, and including their culture, as standard in what we do. Environment, and certification of buildings and treating the environment well, as standard,' Andrew Liveris, president of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee, said. 'We're not there (yet), but we can set that standard. We will be, as an Olympic and Paralympic Games, the standard bearer.' With the start of venue construction and the finalizing of the sports program not expected until late next year, Liveris said there's time to ensure the end results are accounted for in the planning. Paralympics ticket sales debuted at SydneySydney was the first Paralympics to sell tickets — 1.2 million were sold and Australia topped the medal standings. It launched a new era for the Games. There were 2.5 million tickets sold for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where 4,400 para athletes competed and 168 national Paralympic Committees sent teams. 'In terms of ticket sales, the Paralympic Games are now the world's third biggest sport event with only the Olympic Games and men's FIFA World Cup selling more,' Parsons said, adding that Paralympic-related internet searches 'broke the 1 billion barrier.' 'The main driver for the increasing global appeal of the Paralympic Games is the constantly improving quality of sport, level and depth of competition, and the performances of Para athletes,' Parsons said. 'Progress in the last 25 years has been emphatic.' Parsons said from his past visits and his knowledge of planning already that Brisbane is 'starting from a position of strength definitely in terms of accessibility.' 'But you can always improve,' he added. 'We cannot be satisfied until we have 100% of everything accessible, and I'm absolutely sure that this is the objective here.' ___ AP Olympics at
