MELBOURNE: Since the time it was announced as the host city for the 2032 Olympics, the road so far has been far from ideal for Brisbane and Queensland. Uncertainty over venues, spiraling costs and other predicaments have led to some confusion. With the 100-day review nearing completion, TNIE with more…

Away from the hustle and bustle of the busy Brisbane streets – about 12 kilometres south of the city centre – Queensland Sports Athletics Centre is a sprawling sporting locality. Situated at the junction of Kessler Road and Mains Road, the sporting complex is home to the State Athletics Facility, Nissan Arena, High-Performance Facilities, Sandstorm Beach Volleyball Club and the main QSAC stadium.

The centre is vibrant and buzzing with activity.

Built for the 1982 Commonwealth Games, the main stadium has since hosted several historic events – sporting and non-sporting – in the last four decades. As recently as the first week of December, the venue was witness to the record run Gout Gout had at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.

The Ipswich-Brisbane-born teen sensation ran 200m in 20.04s to break Australia’s oldest athletics record set by Peter Norman in 1968.

Currently the fastest in the world for 200m in U-18 and U-20 levels, Gout grew up at the QSAC facility. It is where, much like every aspiring athlete in Brisbane, he would turn up every day and train from a very young age.

The same facility, with a capacity of about 48,000, is the home of Matthew Denny, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist in discuss throw, who comes in and trains here almost every day.