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July 21 (UPI) -- The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday selected Brisbane, Australia, to host the 2032 Summer Olympics -- well ahead of when they have normally named host cities in the past. Brisbane's selection is part of a new IOC process that's intended to avert bidding wars between cities and countries. Brisbane's was the only bid for the 2032 Games.
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The final vote took place in Tokyo two days before the Opening Ceremony for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The 2032 Games will be the third time Australia has hosted the Summer Olympics. Melbourne did in 1956 and Sydney put on the Games in 2000.
The new bid selection process was created in 2019, which uses two IOC panels to review potential cities and make recommendations to the organization's board in an effort to gauge local support and prevent corruption.
"We encourage Olympic Games projects which are sustainable and economically responsible, which deliver the best possible Games experience for athletes and fans, and which leave solid legacies for local communities," IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Games will have a lasting impact on the country and the next generation of athletes there.
"The 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Queensland will forge an enduring legacy for our entire nation," Morrison said in a statement. "We know it's a huge opportunity for our nation, just like the Melbourne Games in 1956 and the Sydney Olympics in 2000."
Queensland Tourism Industry Council Chief Executive Daniel Gschwind said the news could not have come at a better time for a region whose economy has been hampered by coronavirus restrictions.
"We are weighed down by worries about our current situation, how are we going to get out of this, and you can end up in a bit of an emotional spiral and sometimes it takes a big, bold ambition to break that," Gschwind told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I think the Games can be that beacon of hope for us and it will give us an incredible focus for us to reflect on what is the best versions of our city and state and how can we create it."
After Tokyo, the next Summer Olympics will be held in Paris in 2024 and then in Los Angeles in 2028. The Winter Olympics are scheduled for Beijing in February and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, in 2026.
Under the previous selection process, cities were selected seven years before the Games. The IOC has not yet chosen a host city for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
