Brisbane's bid to host the 2028 Olympic Games climbs to the next rung from Wednesday as Lord Mayor Graham Quirk releases the findings of the first 12 months' preparations.
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Former Queensland premier and 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation chairman Peter Beattie raised the key question of finances ahead of the anticipated release.
He appeared to hedge his bets on a possible bid, saying the event could be a "significant injector of economic activity" and he "admired" south-east Queensland councils for putting together an option to make a bid.
"The real problem is cost," he told The Today Show.
"We can manage the Commonwealth Games and manage that effectively.
"The issue is the Olympics are very expensive and it really requires an enormous contribution by the federal government to make it work."
The feasibility stage comes at the end of a year-long prefeasibility study, which needed the sign-off by the region's mayors before proceeding.
Central to a Brisbane bid would be the spirit of the Olympic Agenda 2020, which the IOC described as a "new philosophy to invite potential candidate cities to present a project that fits their sporting, economic, social and environmental long-term planning needs".
That was where the Brisbane bid team, in an attempt to win the hearts and minds of Queenslanders, will focus its energies.
The infrastructure delivery brought forward by the stopwatch brought on by an Olympic Games would be the bid's key selling point, so as to avoid a repeat of the Boston experience.
In Boston, local opposition against the cost of the Olympics saw the Massachusetts city abandon its bid for the 2024 Games, opening the way for Los Angeles to be the United States' bid city.
Brisbane's bid for 2028 could face some tough opposition.
Los Angeles, Budapest, Paris and Rome have already put their hands up to host the 2024 Summer Games.
Paris and Los Angeles were bidding for their third Olympics and Rome its second. A Budapest Olympic Games would be the first to be held in Hungary.
Brisbane bid insiders expected the losing three cities to be automatic contenders for the 2028 Games.
Other cities that have already made noises about a 2028 bid included Berlin, Milan, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur/Singapore and Johannesburg.
The latter could prove to be Brisbane's biggest rival, as the IOC had never previously awarded an Olympic Games to an African city.
Brisbane's Lord Mayor Graham Quirk in February 2015 said after the city hosted the G20 World Leaders Forum, it was time Brisbane bid to host the Olympic Games.
"I think that Brisbane would be the obvious choice for the next Australian Olympic bid," Cr Quirk said in February 2015.
"As Australia's new world city, I think we've demonstrated that we are capable of staging a world event – staging it safely, successfully and with attention to detail."
Australian Olympic Committee's John Coates has described Brisbane as the "natural choice" as host city.
Cr Quirk as chair of the South East Queensland Council of Mayors, will release the findings of the 12 month pre-feasibilty into the region's capability to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games at City Hall at 1.30pm.
Mayors from Toowoomba (Cr Paul Antonio), Redland (Cr Karen Williams), Ipswich (Cr Paul Pisasale), the Sunshine Coast (Cr Mark Jamieson) and the Scenic Rim (Cr Greg Christensen)
Brisbane hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1982 and the Goodwill Games in 2001 and will play a smaller role in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Australia last hosted an Olympic Games in 2000, when Sydney was the host city.
