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Cairns for the Olympic Mountain Bike Races 2032

We have the reef and the rainforest and in 2028, we’re set to also become the riding capital of Australia, or even the globe, thanks to the Smithfield Mountain Bike Park Expansion. 

This is an election commitment I worked 14 long months for and I am so pleased to see our MTB park dreams will become a reality in September 2028.  

But why stop there? We will have the world-class track. Let’s bring the world to Cairns! And what better way than at the 2023 Olympics?  

This is why I have started this petition to fight for Games Hosting rights for this growing Olympic sport.

Smithfield Mountain Bike Park has a rich legacy as Australia’s oldest mountain bike park, hosting the UCI World Championships in 1996 and 2017, and multiple World Cup races (e.g. 2014, 2016)

The proposed expansion plan will grow the trail network from 32 km to 82 km, making it suitable for Olympic-level competition and large-scale events with special infrastructure support.  

Outside of the Smithfield Mountain Bike Park region, there’s plenty more goodness too. with over 700 km of accessible trails across multiple MTB hubs within Cairns, all framed by UNESCO World Heritage rainforest and coastal resorts.  

Need more proof? 

Crankworx Cairns, hosted at Smithfield, generated approx. $19.5 million in 2025, 67,000+ room nights, over 23,600 unique attendees, and 1.9M broadcast views globally — showcasing Cairns on the world mountain bike stage  

In 2022 alone, 11 major bike sport events in FNQ brought over $20 million into the local economy. Sports tourism in Cairns including Crankworx, Ironman, and others delivered around $31.2 million in economic impact, attracting more than 22,700 visitors and over 108,000 visitor nights 

 

Why Mountain Biking?

Cairns is being looked at for a few sporting options for the 2032 Olympics including football, basketball and cricket. But Mountain Biking is set to ride into the Sunshine Coast.

Unless we stand up and make some noise.

Olympic mountain biking has been part of the Summer Games since 1996.

It’s gritty, tactical, fast, and places equal emphasis on technical skill and fitness.

Our Mountain Biking community is Cairns is fantastic including the Cairns MTB Club and the Regional Mountain Bike Strategy Taskforce, which is here in FNQ.

So, join me in the fight to make Cairns the reef, the rainforest and the riding capital of the 2032 Olympics. Ride on!