A feeling of slight trepidation (see glossary below) and anxiety had been growing in the people of Brisbane and South East Queensland (S.E.Q.) on Wednesday, 21st July 2021.  This was because the host for the 2032 Olympic Games was to be announced that evening.

It may have been surprising to some that there was concern about the result as Brisbane appeared to be in a one-horse race. It was the sole city being looked at by the I.O.C. (International Olympic Committee) to be the host of the Olympics and Paralympics in 2032.  However, Brisbanites had been warned “don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched”.  Perhaps this had been said to help build suspense and, if this was the case, it proved successful as there was a palpable sense of relief when Brisbane was announced as the host of the XXXVth (35th) Olympiad.

It is eleven years until the biggest international sporting event in the world comes to Brisbane.  I am looking forward to seeing the changes that take place in the city in which I was born and raised.

If you live in Brisbane or S.E.Q., what changes would you like to see happen?  If you have never visited, what do you know about Brisbane and S.E.Q.?  What would you like to find out? 

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Glossary

trepidation – fear or worry about what is going to happen

anxiety – an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry about something that is happening or might happen in the future

one horse race – a race or competition that only one of the competitors has a real chance of winning

Brisbanites – natives or inhabitants of Brisbane (i.e. people who were born, or live, in Brisbane)

don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched [saying] – said to emphasise that you cannot depend on something happening before it has happened

palpable – (of a feeling) so strong that it seems as if it can be touched or physically felt

Olympiad – an occasion on which the Olympic Games are held

raised – to take care of a person, or an animal or plant, until they are completely grown