The Sydney 2000 Olympics are looked back upon fondly as one of the greatest Games of all time.
In fact, then-International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch called them the “best ever” at the closing ceremony. Samaranch’s successor, Jacques Rogge, did not go that far in his closing statements at any of the last six Olympics.
Hold onto the memories of Sydney, because Australia reportedly isn’t interested in bidding for the Olympics again any time soon. New IOC vice president John Coates of Australia told The Australian he didn’t believe another bid was realistic in the short term.
“It is a big call to underwrite $75 million,” said Coates, explaining that successive governments may have to fund such bids for a decade before a triumphant result. “That’s a lot of money, and I would rather see that amount go to sport instead.”
Australia hosted the Olympics in Melbourne in 1956 prior to Sydney in 2000. Brisbane had expressed interest of hosting a Games in recent years — there’s even a Facebook page for Brisbane 2024 with some 500 likes — but that now appears unlikely.
