Queensland Government failed to back Cricket World Cup fixtures bid

With Brisbane set to host only three games in the ICC Cricket World Cup, Brisbane newspaper The Courier-Mail has revealed that the former Queensland Government showed little interest in attracting the tournament to the city.

The Gabba will host just three-games during the tournament, with Australia’s only Brisbane appearance a pool game against Bangladesh on 21st February. The other matches are Ireland versus the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan against Zimbabwe.

Suggesting that Brisbane should have hosted a “blockbuster game and a quarter-final”, The Courier-Mail revealed that tournament organisers were keen for the Gabba to have a quarter or semi-final but that:

• The former LMP Queensland Govvernment demanded full venue and operating costs from ICC Cricket World Cup organisers for Gabba games, despite other State Governments offering significantly reduced and underwritten venue costs;
• The Queensland Government’s promotional budget for World Cup games in Brisbane was almost non-existent;
• Tourism, marketing and other incentives such as fan zones which were provided in other cities would not have been funded in Queensland.

The report stated “the bottom line was that the Queensland government showed scant interest in the cricket World Cup and its offers were small-fry compared to other states.

“Not only have Queensland sports fans been short-changed but the state has also missed out on valuable tourism promotion.

“The World Cup will be watched by more than one billion fans in a global television audience and will literally stop traffic in the streets of major centres in the subcontinent.

“Yet the World Cup didn’t even consider the Gabba for any major games, or finals, because the Newman Government would not come to the party.”

When ICC Cricket World Cup venues were announced, then Queensland Tourism and Major Events Minister Jann Stuckey claimed she had wanted a World Cup quarter final but Queensland’s offer was outstripped.

At the time, the former Minister stated “would we have liked more? Of course we would but ... we did try and put in a bid (for a quarter-final) but we were unsuccessful.”

The World Cup quarter-finals will be staged in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Wellington, the semi-finals in Auckland and Sydney and the final at the MCG.

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