Minister grilled after embarrassing leak spoils elaborate Games emblem rollout

Brisbane 2032 and the Queensland government have defended the treasure hunt rollout of its emblems across the state, after an embarrassing blunder in which Brisbane 2032 itself leaked the final design.

The emblems were leaked on Friday by the official Brisbane 2032 YouTube channel, which had set up an “Emblem Explainer” video to go live on Monday.

However, the preview was public and showed the emblems for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the top-right corner.

The final two pieces in the treasure hunt were meant to be revealed on the Gold Coast and then Brisbane, but after the leak, Brisbane 2032 staged a reveal of both pieces at Elephant Rock in Currumbin on Saturday morning.

Speaking afterwards at Burleigh Pavilion, Brisbane 2032 chief marketing officer Brent Hill said the organisation was pleased with the level of enthusiasm the emblem tour had generated.

“We had people on the internet trolling to try and find any clue that they possibly could,” he said.

“From our perspective, we’re just really excited now that the emblems are here, and we’re looking forward to Monday, when we can celebrate with the community.”

Hill denied feeling disappointed and embarrassed, saying they were instead excited the emblems were out there.

“If we had our time over, maybe there are different ways that we could have done it,” he said. “But from our side, we wanted the clues to be out there and … the reaction to it has been really positive.”

When asked if he thought it was a shame Brisbane’s reveal was cancelled, Hill said the Gold Coast reveal was “as perfect as it could be”.

“When you think about what we’re actually trying to do with the emblems, we want to tell the world about what the Games is going to be like in Brisbane 2032, that’s the whole idea with doing this week.”

Queensland Sports Minister Tim Mander would not say how he found out about the emblems being leaked.

When asked if the blunder, which resulted in Brisbane’s reveal day being cut out of the tour, was indicative of the government’s attitude towards the host city, Mander said Brisbane would not miss out and the final celebration would still be held there on Monday.

“I just want to reinforce what Brent has said with regards to the reception that we received in the regions. [It] was really inspiring. It shows you that the decision to decentralise the Games has been embraced by all Queenslanders, and it’s now out, and I really believe that Queenslanders will embrace it,” he said.

The thought process behind the emblems was detailed in the leaked video’s caption.

“The Brisbane 2032 Emblems are inspired by the spirited cockatoo – a symbol of Australia’s unique wildlife and playful heart!” it said.

“The cockatoo’s crest is a living torch, reminiscent of the iconic Olympic and Paralympic flame. Shaped like Queensland, with its eye on Brisbane, the Emblem is a universal symbol to unite Brisbane, Australia and the world in 2032.”

The video thumbnail was only online until 7.12pm on Friday, by which time a screenshot had been posted to Reddit.

The tour had visited Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton and the Sunshine Coast, with three more days of events planned.

The touring party included three Brisbane journalists, local media, Mander and his staff, local MPs, the Brisbane 2032 team and their content team.

Two athletes appeared at each tour stop, and nine were scheduled to appear at Monday’s reveal. Sunday’s events have been cancelled, and slightly scaled-back events are expected on Monday.

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