An American country music star exposes Brisbane’s stadium gap

The latest round in the Brisbane Olympic stadium stoush shows just how far we’ve strayed from the original vision for the Games’ legacy on the city.

Last week, Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris urged cricket and AFL – two sports, it’s fair to say, that are somewhat lacking in Olympic tradition – to “stand up” and argue for a venue worthy of the region’s growing population.

With the Gabba nearing the end of its life, there’s no doubting the need for a new or refurbished oval stadium in Brisbane. However, the architects of the Brisbane Olympic bid had something else in mind – and an American country music star has just demonstrated how on the money they were.

Luke Combs has forced the Brisbane Roar out of Suncorp Stadium. Credit: Rick Clifford

Suncorp Stadium, it was announced with great fanfare last week, will host two Luke Combs concerts on January 24 and 25 next year. As it happened, the Brisbane Roar was meant to play Adelaide United on the 25th.

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