The Japan Times - Work begins on 2032 Brisbane Olympics stadium after protests

Queensland state premier David Crisafulli turned the first sod at Victoria Park -- close to the centre of town -- in what he called a milestone moment in the countdown to the sporting extravaganza.

"It's game on -– we have a plan to deliver for the 2032 Games and beyond, and today we get cracking on delivering it," he said as fencing went up at the site.

"The eyes of the world will be on us in 2032, but this is about delivering legacy benefits for all of Queensland well beyond that.

"Victoria Park will be the beating sport, cultural and green heart of Brisbane, and a place all Queenslanders can be proud of."

The 63,000-capacity Brisbane Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics during the Olympics, before becoming the city's main venue for cricket and Australian Rules games.

It is part of an Aus$7.1 billion (US$5.09 billion) Games Venues Infrastructure Program jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments.

The Aus$3.6 billion stadium is controversial with concerns about a loss of culturally and ecologically significant green space at a heritage-listed park.

Hundreds of people have protested in recent days with a handful of arrests.

The Save Victoria Park group say they are not anti-Olympics.

"It's about standing up for a place that holds deep meaning for community, for climate, for culture, for First Nations people and for future generations," the group say on their website.

"It's one of our last inner-city green pockets that breathes life into our dense and rapidly developing city.

"And once it's gone, we can't get it back."

More than two-thirds of Victoria Park will remain green public space once work is complete, the Queensland government says.

The Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8 in 2032, followed by the Paralympics on August 24-September 5.

The 2028 Summer Olympics are in Los Angeles.

S.Ogawa--JT