Brisbane 2032 Paralympics: Dates, Sports and Venues
The Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games run from 24 August to 5 September 2032, opening and closing at the new stadium at Victoria Park. They are the 19th Summer Paralympics and the second held in Australia, after Sydney 2000. Brisbane 2032 has confirmed 22 Paralympic sports, sharing the same pool of 37 proposed competition venues as the 28 Olympic sports, with roughly 80% of those venues existing or temporary rather than newly built. Athletes will be housed in three villages at Bowen Hills, Robina and Maroochydore, each shared with the Olympic Games. What is not settled is which 22 sports make the programme, when tickets go on sale, and the harder question underneath all of it — whether a city where a large share of railway stations still can't be reached without stairs will be ready to host the world's largest disability sporting event.
- 24 August – 5 September 2032. Opening and closing ceremonies at the Victoria Park stadium.
- 22 Paralympic sports across 37 proposed venues, shared with the Olympics (Brisbane 2032).
- The specific sports programme is not yet decided. Wheelchair rugby league, blind cricket, lawn bowls and para sailing are all campaigning for a place.
- Three athlete villages: Bowen Hills, Robina (Gold Coast), Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast).
- No ticket date. At LA28 the Paralympic draw doesn't open until 2027 for 2028 Games, so expect Brisbane's well after the Olympic sale.
When are the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics?
24 August to 5 September 2032 — thirteen days of competition. The opening ceremony is on 24 August and the closing ceremony on 5 September, both at the new Brisbane stadium at Victoria Park. That puts the Paralympic opening about two and a half weeks after the Olympic closing ceremony on 8 August, the standard changeover window used to reconfigure venues.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Olympic opening ceremony | 23 July 2032 |
| Olympic closing ceremony | 8 August 2032 |
| Paralympic opening ceremony | 24 August 2032 |
| Paralympic closing ceremony | 5 September 2032 |
How many sports will be at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics?
22, according to Brisbane 2032's own venues and sports plan. They share the 37 proposed competition venues with the 28 Olympic sports. But the organising committee has not finalised which 22, and the initial sports programme remains undetermined — which is why four separate campaigns are currently running to get in.
Which sports are campaigning to be added?
Four public bids are live, and two of them are distinctly Australian plays.
| Sport | Backed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelchair rugby league | International Rugby League | July 2021 |
| Blind cricket | Cricket Australia, Paralympics Australia | 2024–25 |
| Lawn bowls | World Bowls, Bowls Australia | July 2025 |
| Para sailing (reinstatement) | World Sailing | December 2025 |
Blind cricket is the one to watch. IPC president Andrew Parsons said in June 2025 that a gold medal match at the Gabba was a possibility if the sport is included — a notably specific remark from someone who does not have to make specific remarks. Standard cricket is already in for LA28, which gives the Paralympic case a natural slipstream.
Para sailing is a reinstatement rather than a debut: it was a demonstration sport in 1996, a full sport from 2000 to 2016, then dropped.
Where will the Paralympic events be held?
Across the same 37 proposed competition venues as the Olympics, spread over host city Brisbane, co-host cities around Queensland, and select venues in Melbourne and Sydney. Brisbane 2032 says about 80% are existing or temporary, which is the core of its cost and sustainability argument.
For Paralympic spectators that split matters more than it does for Olympic ones. A new venue can be designed accessible from the ground up. An existing venue has to be retrofitted, and a temporary one has to have accessibility built into a structure that gets taken down again. Our Brisbane 2032 venues guide tracks the full list as decisions firm up.
Where will Paralympic athletes stay?
Three proposed villages, each shared with the Olympic Games rather than built separately: Bowen Hills in inner Brisbane, Robina on the Gold Coast, and Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. Additional regional villages are planned for co-host destinations where events require them.
Is Brisbane actually accessible enough to host the Paralympics?
This is the question the guidebooks skip. In November 2022, Paralympian Karni Liddell told the Courier-Mail that Brisbane's accessibility had not meaningfully changed in 30 years. Youngcare Connect manager Shane Jamieson called the city "completely ill-prepared". Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall said that 40% of railway stations in South East Queensland were still only accessible by stairs.
Those figures are from late 2022. We have not been able to find a more recent published figure for stairs-only stations across South East Queensland, which is itself worth noting six years out from a Paralympic Games.
The criticism was not that Brisbane would fail to build accessible venues. Venues are the easy part, and they get built to standard. It was that the city around the venues — the stations, footpaths, taxis and hotels people actually use to reach them — was a long way behind.
What is being done about it?
Formally, quite a lot. The Queensland Government released its 2032 Delivery Plan in March 2025, setting venue and transport priorities. The Department of Transport and Main Roads Disability Action Plan 2026–2028, updated in August 2026, explicitly treats the Games as a reason to fast-track accessibility work.
The stated priorities are accessibility upgrades to bus and rail stations, a larger accessible taxi and rideshare fleet, and better journey planning, customer information and inclusive wayfinding. The big-ticket transport projects — Cross River Rail with four new underground stations and an upgraded Exhibition Station, Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail, the Wave line to the Sunshine Coast, and bus priority corridors in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast — all carry accessibility obligations as new-build infrastructure.
The gap worth watching: new lines and new stations will be accessible because they have to be. The 2022 criticism was about the existing network. Commitments to "upgrade" stations are the part with no public count attached, and that is the number we will keep asking for. See our infrastructure and budget tracker for what's funded so far.
When do Brisbane 2032 Paralympic tickets go on sale?
No date, no prices, no platform. Paralympic tickets consistently go on sale after Olympic ones: at LA28, the Paralympic ticket draw does not open until 2027, for Games in July 2028. Roughly 3.4 million Paralympic tickets are expected for Brisbane, alongside about 10 million Olympic tickets.
If Brisbane follows the same sequencing, Paralympic tickets land meaningfully later than the Olympic sale. We cover the Olympic timing on our tickets on-sale page and the money question on how much Brisbane 2032 tickets will cost. Historically Paralympic tickets are cheaper than Olympic equivalents, though nothing has been confirmed for Brisbane.
How does this compare to Sydney 2000?
Sydney 2000 is the benchmark and the burden. It is widely regarded as the Games that changed the Paralympic movement's public profile, and it is the comparison every Australian Paralympic conversation returns to — including Andrew Liveris pointing to Sydney's ticket ballot as a model for Brisbane.
The difference is the starting point. Sydney built a compact, largely new Olympic park. Brisbane is distributing 22 sports across 37 mostly existing venues in three cities, connected by a transport network that was publicly criticised for accessibility four years ago. That is a harder logistical problem, and a more interesting one to hold to account.
What changed in 2026
Two things. The Transport and Main Roads Disability Action Plan 2026–2028 was published and last updated in August 2026, putting Games-driven accessibility work into a formal departmental plan rather than a press release. And LA28 began selling tickets in April 2026, confirming that Paralympic sales sit in a separate, later draw — the clearest signal yet of how Brisbane's sequencing will likely work.
Still unchanged: the Paralympic sports programme, the ticket date, and any published count of how many South East Queensland stations remain stairs-only.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics?
24 August to 5 September 2032. Opening ceremony 24 August, closing 5 September, both at the new Victoria Park stadium. That's about two and a half weeks after the Olympic closing ceremony on 8 August.
How many sports will be at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics?
22, according to Brisbane 2032, sharing the same 37 proposed venues as the 28 Olympic sports. Which 22 hasn't been finalised — the sports programme is still open.
Where will the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics be held?
Across 37 proposed venues in Brisbane, co-host cities around Queensland including the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, plus select venues in Melbourne and Sydney. About 80% are existing or temporary rather than newly built.
Is Brisbane accessible enough to host the Paralympics?
It's the open question. In November 2022 Paralympian Karni Liddell said accessibility hadn't meaningfully changed in 30 years, and the Queensland Human Rights Commissioner said 40% of South East Queensland railway stations were stairs-only. The 2032 Delivery Plan and the Transport and Main Roads Disability Action Plan 2026–2028 now commit to station upgrades, more accessible taxis and rideshare, and inclusive wayfinding.
When do Brisbane 2032 Paralympic tickets go on sale?
No date announced. Paralympic tickets go on sale after Olympic ones — at LA28 the Paralympic draw doesn't begin until 2027 for 2028 Games. Roughly 3.4 million Paralympic tickets are expected for Brisbane.
Which sports are campaigning to be added?
Wheelchair rugby league (International Rugby League, since 2021), blind cricket (Cricket Australia and Paralympics Australia, with IPC president Andrew Parsons saying in June 2025 a gold medal match at the Gabba is possible), lawn bowls (World Bowls and Bowls Australia, July 2025) and para sailing (World Sailing, December 2025).
Has Australia hosted the Paralympics before?
Yes — Sydney 2000, widely regarded as a turning point for the movement's public profile. Brisbane 2032 will be the second Summer Paralympics in Australia and the 19th edition overall.
Where will Paralympic athletes stay?
Three villages shared with the Olympics: Bowen Hills in Brisbane, Robina on the Gold Coast, and Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. Additional regional villages are planned for co-host destinations where events require them.
Sources: Brisbane 2032 venues and sports plan (22 Paralympic sports, 37 venues, 80% existing or temporary); Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads Disability Action Plan 2026–2028, updated 13 August 2026; accessibility criticism as reported by the Courier-Mail, November 2022; LA28 Paralympic ticket draw timing per LA28, April 2026. Sports-programme bids as announced by the respective federations. Dates per the International Paralympic Committee.
BRIS2032 — Independent Coverage. Not affiliated with the IPC, the IOC or the Brisbane 2032 organising committee. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll correct it.
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