Melbourne Could Host 2024 Olympics says City’s Mayor

Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle believes the city has the infrastructure to host the 2024 or 2028 Olympics

Doyle said Melbourne’s venues and stadiums were ready and had proved successful in major events.

“I don’t think there’d be another city in the world not hosting the Olympics that is as well prepared as we are right now,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“Think what we could do if we did dream large for 2024 or 2028.”

Mr Doyle said Melbourne would need federal support to fund the Games and maintained the city would host the event in its own cost-effective style.

“We would do it differently. We wouldn’t try to replicate bigger and better. We’d do it in a very Melbourne way,” he said.

“You find ways you can do things that are memorable, that are typically us and within our budget.”

Mr Doyle said first-world countries spending big on hosting the Olympics was not sustainable and maintained a good economic case for the Games must be made first.

Victoria Tourism Industry Council chief executive Dianne Smith said hosting the Games would be a win for the economy.

“Hosting the 2024 or 2028 Olympics would have significant economic benefits, stimulate investment and employment and, if planned and managed properly, would leave a positive legacy long into the future,” she said.

But former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett said the expense of hosting an Olympic Games would outweigh the benefits.

“I just don’t think we have the financial capacity to continually compete against countries with larger populations, larger economies – I think we’ve got to be realistic,” he told Melbourne radio station Gold FM.

Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates has said Brisbane is the likely candidate for the next Australian Games bid.

“It’s the best climate to host an Olympic Games in the window the International Olympic Committee is allowing,” he told News Ltd in July.

Melbourne hosted the Olympics in 1956 and the Commonwealth Games in 2006.