Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook says she was thrilled Brisbane has been named as the preferred candidate for the 2032 Olympic Games.

The five time Olympian said the news has “gone all over the world”.

“I leapt out of bed this morning, and was so excited to see the news that Queensland has taken a giant step to hosting the Olympics in 2032,” she told Bill McDonald.

“The PE classes today, you would hope the kids would run faster, jump higher, with that level of news today.”

She said it will put Brisbane on the map.

“A tourism bonanza, a global spotlight on Brisbane, and south-east Queensland,” Ms Cook said.

“I travel the world, I have done for 20 years. Everyone knows Sydney, because it’s an Olympic city, everyone knows Melbourne, because it’s an Olympic city.

“I guarantee you this news has gone all over the world, and people that didn’t know where Brisbane was, this morning, now know. Everyone will want to come to Queensland.”

She said it would be the “change of the city”.

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Olympian Mark Stockwell, who was the chairman of the bid for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, addressed concerns the cost to host the Games would be a huge impost.

“The wonderful thing about the Olympics, it brings forward infrastructure, so that infrastructure has got to be delivered even if we get the Olympics or not,” he told Scott Emerson.

“I think the IOC is not looking to have huge stadiums, huge venues that sit as white elephants, that’s the last thing they want.

“From a cost point of view, I actually think this Games will make money for Brisbane putting on the Olympics.”

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Images: iStock