An international mixed martial arts organisation seeking Olympic recognition attempted to give Brisbane 2032 officials luxury alcohol worth more than $100,000, according to a newly released hospitality register.
Documents obtained by the ABC under right-to-information laws reveal how sporting bodies, contractors and professional service firms have been building relationships with the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The committee will oversee Games operations, manage venues and help recommend additional sports to the International Olympic Committee. It is also expected to award procurement contracts worth about $2.5 billion.
The most expensive offers came from the Federation of International Mixed Martial Arts, or FIMMA, a recently established organisation campaigning to have a non-cage version of mixed martial arts included in the Olympics.
During an international meeting in February, FIMMA presented two bottles of wine later valued at approximately $20,000. The Brisbane committee did not retain them and instead surrendered the bottles to Australian Customs because of the substantial import duties involved.
The following month, FIMMA offered two more extravagant gifts. One was a Rémy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.1 cognac valued at $82,270.75, while the second was a $2,600 bottle of Louis XIII Grande Champagne cognac presented in a Baccarat crystal decanter.
The register described the gifts as unsolicited and said their value was not known when they were presented. A person familiar with the matter told the ABC that the cognac bottles were subsequently returned to the organisation.
FIMMA was formed in December and is registered in Switzerland. It is led by billionaire Singapore-based property developer Gordon Tang and competes with other organisations seeking to represent mixed martial arts internationally.
The federation defended the presentations, saying commemorative gifts were traditionally offered during official meetings as a gesture of courtesy and respect. It maintained that the items were presented openly and transparently.
The hospitality register also detailed less costly invitations and experiences provided by companies hoping to work with the Brisbane Games committee.
Technology and live-events company PMY Group spent about $2,300 on an employee’s attendance at a client conference, which included tickets to an AFL match between Richmond and Carlton and access to an Australian Grand Prix warm-up event.
Catering company Compass Group paid approximately $2,200 for a committee official to attend an Australian Open hospitality experience operated by its subsidiary Levy. The register stated that the visit provided useful knowledge about major-event catering and hospitality arrangements.
Law firms, travel companies and several Australian sporting organisations also appeared on the register.
Cricket Australia provided committee officials with 12 Ashes tickets valued at between $500 and $1,000 each. The organisation said hosting stakeholders at major matches demonstrated cricket’s economic, cultural and sporting value.
Tennis Australia recorded nine gifts, including an Australian Open tennis and hospitality package valued at about $1,500. The NFL, NRL and other rugby league organisations also provided hospitality, while Netball Australia offered an invitation to a final and lunch valued at $530.
Some of these sporting bodies may be seeking inclusion in the 2032 Olympic program, while others could be trying to maintain influence over infrastructure planning, government funding and high-level discussions about Australian sport.
Cricket will return to the Olympic program at Los Angeles 2028, but its place at Brisbane 2032 has not yet been confirmed. Flag football will also debut in Los Angeles, while sports can be removed from future Games, as happened with breaking after the Paris Olympics.
Sports governance specialist Lisa Gowthorp said Olympic involvement could bring significant long-term benefits, including sponsorship, government investment, television exposure and increased participation. She said corporate entertainment and networking were common parts of international sport, although expensive gifts required strong oversight.
The International Olympic Committee’s ethics rules require hospitality to remain proportionate. The Brisbane committee said its gift register and regular external audits demonstrated its commitment to transparency and integrity.
The organising committee added that an event as large as Brisbane 2032 would naturally attract intense commercial and sporting interest, but said it remained committed to fair contracting, proper engagement and high governance standards.
