By Cindy Corrie
CEO CHAMPION REDLANDS COAST
THE recent comments about whether canoe slalom could be dropped from the Olympic and Paralympic Games post 2032 misses the point entirely.
It reflects a problem in the narrative about this venue.
We need to be less focused on the business case and more focused on the legacy plan.
Whether canoe slalom remains an Olympic sport after Brisbane 2032 is irrelevant.
It should have no bearing on how we measure the success of the Redland Whitewater Centre.
If the value of a once-in-a-generation investment depends on one event remaining on the Olympic program, then we haven’t planned properly.
The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games was never just about hosting two weeks of competition.
It is an opportunity to reshape communities, stimulate investment and create lasting economic and social benefits.
The venues are not the legacy – they are the platforms from which legacy is built.
Unfortunately, we have a habit of defining Games infrastructure as though its purpose ends with the closing ceremony.
That thinking sells our communities short.
Redlands Coast has been handed an extraordinary opportunity.
With more than 300 kilometres of coastline, water is central to our identity, yet we have never fully embraced its potential to drive recreation, tourism, health, education and economic development.
The Redland Whitewater Centre should be viewed through that broader lens.
That means integrating the Redland Whitewater Centre into long-term strategies for sport, tourism, active recreation, education and investment attraction.
It means improving connections to our coastline, supporting local clubs and businesses, and ensuring the venue becomes part of everyday community life – not just an Olympic memory.
None of that depends on canoe slalom appearing in the Olympic program in 2036 (although I for one certainly hope it continues).
What it does depend on is having the courage to develop a clear legacy vision and asking our community what kind of legacy they want the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to leave.
When there is a shared vision, these negative narratives become far less relevant because the conversation shifts from what we might lose to what we can build.
Champion Redlands Coast believes that conversation is long overdue.
The Games will come and go.
The real test of success will be whether in 20 years’ time, our lifestyles are enhanced, more visitors are choosing Redlands Coast, more businesses are thriving, our neighbourhoods are connected with transport, we have leveraged a volunteering movement, and more young people can see opportunities in sport, tourism and outdoor recreation.
That’s the conversation we should be having, and the legacy we could shape. And it needs to start now.
