Andrew Liveris has welcomed a major milestone for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, announcing the event’s first corporate sponsor as momentum builds toward the global event.
Speaking in Queensland, Liveris confirmed Commonwealth Bank had signed on as the organising committee’s founding partner in a “sizable” but undisclosed deal, secured shortly after Brisbane formalised an Olympic partnership with Los Angeles, host of the 2028 Games.
Liveris said the International Olympic Committee had granted Brisbane early approval to pursue sponsorships, noting the importance of engaging major companies.
“Size of market is an issue – we do have to look at size of market – but we have some very big companies in this country right next to me here,” he said.
“I think this announcement today is going to activate a whole lot of other companies to say: ‘You know what, let’s get into this six-years-to-go thing as fast as we can’.”
Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn described the agreement as significant, saying, “Under anyone’s definition, it’s a sizable investment.”
“We do that without any reluctance – we see the importance of being associated with an event like this, but we also think there’s commercial opportunities,” he added, noting some funding could support grassroots sport nationwide.
The announcement came minutes after Brisbane and Los Angeles signed a sister-city agreement and Olympic cooperation deal, with both cities pledging to share knowledge and maximise the Games’ long-term legacy.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
