IPSWICH risks being left with nothing to show for the 2032 Olympics, with community leaders now challenging the State Government and Ipswich City Council about the lack of local vital sporting infrastructure.

Bremer State High School’s Director of Sport, Michael Seiler has been warning for months that Ipswich faced being shut out of Olympic planning, despite being Queensland’s fastest-growing city.

“We have no tartan track, no high-performance training centre, no serious Olympic legacy plan,” he said.

“Every delay means our kids are forced to leave Ipswich to find the opportunities they deserve.”

He said South East Queensland had just seven years to prepare for the Games, with Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast expanding their sporting hubs, yet Ipswich has little to point to beyond abandoned proposals.

Mr Seiler said while the council had spoken broadly about “legacy opportunities”, it was yet to release any concrete plans or timelines.

Mr Seiler said patience was wearing thin for families and athletes.

The school sports director said he had been doing what he could at a grassroots level.

He has launched the Ipswich Regional Sports Academy (IRSA) in partnership with UniSQ.

IRSA provides elite sporting pathways for primary and secondary students, combining high-performance training with academic support and personal development.

It also offers mentoring from Olympic athletes, tailored coaching, and holistic services to help young athletes overcome barriers to reach their potential on the road to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.

A total of 70 young athletes are already enrolled, which he said was evidence of the demand.

But he said the program was a stop-gap – not a substitute for the world-class facilities Ipswich still needed.

“Without serious investment, we will keep losing our best athletes to Brisbane, Toowoomba or the Coast,” he said.

In response, schools, sporting clubs and community leaders have formed the Active Futures Partnership, uniting behind a campaign for a multi-purpose training centre.

They argue that the facility could serve not only elite athletes, but also schools, grassroots clubs, veterans, first responders and community health programs.

“The Olympics should leave something tangible behind,” Mr Seiler said.

“We need investment now, failure to do so will see further generations of athletes and young people denied the chance to realise their dreams and Ipswich will be left with nothing but broken promises and missed opportunities.”

Supporters have said Ipswich deserved the same treatment as Toowoomba and Mackay, both of which have secured significant sporting investments.

“Seven years sounds like a long time,” Mr Seiler said.

“But the truth is, we’re already running out of time.”