Demolishing and rebuilding the Gabba stadium ahead of the 2032 Olympics may no longer be the favoured option after the top organising committees weighed into the debate.
Australian Olympic Committee President Ian Chesterman says there are more creative solutions than rebuilding the iconic Brisbane venue for the Games, and those will be put to a review committee.
Former Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk is leading a 60-day 2032 Olympic infrastructure assessment review and the Gabba's reconstruction is at the top of the list.
Mr Chesterman's comments come after International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates was quoted as saying the review committee should dump the Gabba altogether.
"We’ve put it to the review committee we should abandon the Gabba and we should look for another site for the athletics,” Mr Coates told News Corp.
He's proposed the opening ceremony be held at Suncorp Stadium and athletics at Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, the venue for the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
Whether the Gabba should be demolished and reconstructed as the centrepiece of the games has been hotly debated since a plan was released in November.
The Queensland government unveiled a $2.7 billion Gabba rebuild plan that would see the stadium demolished, reconstructed and out of action from 2025 to 2030.
It would also force Brisbane's AFL and cricket to find a new home.
Opponents had called for its reconstruction to be axed because of escalating costs after the plan's initial $1 billion price tag blew out to almost three times that estimate.
In announcing the review in January, Premier Steven Miles said he hoped the independent process could create options that are better value for money.
Mr Miles also said he shared the concerns expressed by Queenslanders about the level of expenses involving a five-year rebuild.
"Concerns about the cost of some venues have made it a divisive issue in the Queensland community - I want to change that," Mr Miles said.
Deputy state opposition leader Jarrod Bleijie said the LNP's stance on the Gabba's future had not changed.
"The Liberal National Party have always held the view we do not support the full Gabba knockdown," he said on Thursday.
"It was a $2.7 billion project without a business case, without any financial credibility behind it."
The Queensland Greens have also called for the entire project, citing the threat the reconstruction plan posed to East Brisbane State School.
“The Greens have been fighting this frankly stupid project for nearly three years now, calling out the extreme cost, the lack of consultation, and the fact that destroying a school and a park for a four-week event is ludicrous," South Brisbane MP Dr Amy MacMahon said.
“We’re not stopping until we hear the premier say that the Gabba rebuild is scrapped, and East Brisbane State School and Raymond Park are protected."
