By Juliano Oliveira
Queensland’s athletes who represented the Australian colours at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Games will be welcomed in Brisbane on 8 October as a parade is set to take out the CBD streets.
Australia ended its participation in the games with 13 gold, four silver and 11 bronze medals, one of the most successful Olympics campaigns nation wise. Paralympic sports will take place between 24 August and 5 September.
Swimmers Emma McKeon and Kaylee McKeown, and BMX rider Logan Martin, are expected to be in the event.
“Our athletes made Queensland proud. They deserve a warm welcome home, and that’s exactly what we’ll give them,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
“Queensland performed better than most countries. If Queensland were a nation, we would have ranked seventh on the medal tally – ahead of the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy.
“Many of these athletes are young enough to represent Australia again in 2032. Imagine what they could achieve in front of a home crowd,” the Premier said.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner encouraged parents and grandparents from across Brisbane to bring children to the parade and watch Queensland’s amazing athletes be awarded the Keys to the City.
“With the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games locked in, this is a chance for our kids to see our athletes up close and begin dreaming of emulating their incredible feats on home soil,” he said.
Preparations are underway to have the Olympians travel down the Queen Street Mall to a stage at King George Square. However, they are dependent on continuing to contain the spread of COVID-19.