The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games inspired a generation of Australian athletes and the likelihood of Brisbane hosting the world's premier sporting event in 2032 is set to do so again.
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With Brisbane on Thursday announced as the preferred bidder for the event by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at an executive meeting, emerging Canberra athletes revealed their excitement at the prospect of representing Australia at home.
Canberra sprinter Melissa Breen, basketballer Patty Mills and hockey talent Anna Flanagan have all spoken about the impact of watching the last Olympics on home soil at Sydney 2000, before going on to represent Australia themselves at the Games.
As the nephew of cycling legend Michael Rogers, 16-year-old national cycling champion Cameron Rogers has grown up watching the Olympics and has always aspired to compete.
As he heard the news Brisbane was favourite to host in 2032, Cameron's passion to represent the country in his sport was heightened.
"I have been around the Olympics all my life. I would love to be there for the next games. I have been reading and hearing about the potential for them to be in Brisbane all day and it's something I have always worked towards," Cameron said.
When 19-year-old Olivia Martin first started playing hockey, she never imagined she would be working toward the Olympic Games.
"The honour of playing for the Hockeyroos and the honour of representing my country would be a dream come true," she said.
Competing in the global arena on Australian turf would make it all the more special, she said.
Martin, who has long been on the Hockeyroos' radar, began playing hockey at 'Hookin2Hockey' because her brother played. She now plays for the University of Canberra.
A young basketballer with a bright future, Bowyn Beatty, 16, said he would be enthusiastic to follow in the footsteps of some of his top sporting idols.
"I want to have as much of an impact as I can and be the best player that I can be. If that gets me in an Australian uniform, well that's awesome. I want to follow in the footstep of players like Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles," he said.
The chance to play at the 2032 Olympics in Australia would be a pinnacle for any professional athlete's career, he said.
"Being able to put on the green and gold is the ultimate dream as an athlete. I want to be a professional basketballer. If that takes me to college in the USA, Europe or the NBL I will be extremely happy. Watching all the Aussies in the NBA at the moment is also making that a dream."
Beatty had watched and been inspired by the Olympics for years.
"I watch the Boomers or the Opals play whenever I can. It's great to see what Australian players give to the game of basketball, the passion and the grit we play with help define us in the sport," he said.
For 18-year-old Emma Ilijoski, seeing the Matildas compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 was one of the first moments she was inspired to pursue her passion for soccer.
"You could see on their [the Matildas'] faces how much it meant to them and their passion. That was one of the most special moments to see and something that really drove me," Ilijoski said.
"[Competing in the Olympics] would be such an overwhelming feeling. Sharing that with your teammates and being able to represent your nation would be something indescribable. Hopefully I get to experience that one day, I think it would just be incredible."
The host city of the 2032 Olympic Games should be announced before July 2021.
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