Time is still on Brisbane's side ahead of the 2032 Olympics but the clock will be ticking for whoever wins the Queensland election.
The River City was officially awarded the Games in July 2021, ensuring it became the host with the most amount of time to organise an Olympics.
More than three years on, though, critics believe the Queensland government has squandered the record head start.
Premier Steven Miles finally unveiled a hotly debated Games and Paralympic infrastructure plan in March, almost 1000 days after Brisbane officially got the green light.
Yet 2032 organisers may be back to square one after the October 26 poll.
Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli has promised a 100-day review of 2032 infrastructure if elected, rubbishing Labor's plan to host track and field at the 49-year-old Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.
More time is set to be lost finalising a new Olympic blueprint under Mr Crisafulli who is tipped to end Labor's nine year reign and become Queensland's next premier.
University of Queensland's Associate Professor Judith Mair believes it unfair to accuse the government of sitting on its hands.
However she says whoever emerges victorious on October 26 can't afford to be idle if they want Brisbane to be a success.
"Yes, time is on their side however it won't be much longer," she says.
"We are definitely getting to the end of the period where we can change our minds - there has to be a decision quite soon."
Mr Miles has copped criticism for ignoring the key findings of an independent review and opting to revamp ageing facilities instead of building a $3.4 billion stadium at inner Brisbane's Victoria Park as the 2032 centrepiece.
Infrastructure Minister Grace Grace has doubled down, saying a new stadium isn't possible under the $7.1 billion Olympic funding umbrella.
Brisbane 2032 will be operating under the International Olympic Committee's "new norm" which encourages cities to use existing or temporary venues to help ensure a more affordable, beneficial and sustainable Games.
It was ushered in after a long history of hosts struggling to recover financially.
Yet the Miles government still copped heat when it proposed existing - and albeit ageing - venues like the Gabba, Suncorp Stadium and QSAC be upgraded under its Games plan.
It is believed about $1 billion has been set aside for Suncorp Stadium - the proposed opening and closing ceremonies host - and the Gabba.
The independent review ignored by Mr Miles said QSAC would require a $1.6 billion makeover but added that it would be "very hard to justify" and not represent value for money.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner claims up to $500 million in additional funding may be required to fix transport problems with the venue, which is 20km from the Olympic village.
QSAC's upgraded 40,000-seat capacity would be the smallest Olympic track and field stadium since the 1928 Games.
The only new 2032 venue would be the $2.5 billion Brisbane Arena - set to host swimming - thanks to commonwealth funding.
The LNP have been vocal about what they won't do ahead of 2032 if elected, rubbishing the QSAC upgrade after claiming locals were "embarrassed" by the prospect.
However it remains to be seen what they will plan with Mr Crisafulli committed to the 100-day infrastructure review.
Indeed the LNP have sent mixed signals, with opposition sport spokesman Tim Mander refusing to rule out building a new 2032 venue just days after Mr Crisafulli appeared to do just that ahead of the election.
Mr Crisafulli has suggested a Gabba upgrade or rebuild would be "part of the mix" of his promised review.
The Miles government initially planned to bulldoze and then rebuild the Gabba, using it as the main Games arena at a cost of $2.7 billion before ditching the idea amid a cost-of-living crisis.
"There has been a bit of talk from the LNP about having an amazing stadium," according to Curtin School of Management and Marketing Professor Kirsten Holmes.
"Prior to the new norms that was very much the approach. Each Olympics had a standout stadium.
"But these are very expensive. It's not just the cost of building it. A lot of venues that have been built for the Olympics in the past have not been sustainable long term."
Mr Miles has copped flack for his Games plan but Ms Holmes says it would be "absolutely within the new norms" to refurbish a stadium for the Olympics.
"The current proposal of reusing and upgrading existing infrastructure is the way the IOC would want it to go."
Major transport upgrades have also been mooted ahead of the 2032 Games.
The Brisbane Metro bus service is set to be extended in time for the Olympics, with 22 new stations planned under a proposal by southeast mayors and the state government.
Early work has also begun on a direct rail line from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast, which is set to host Olympic events.
The joint state-federal stage one will only reach Caloundra by 2032.
The LNP says its 100-day review would work out how to extend it further north to Maroochydore by the Games, a feat the government says is impossible.
Boosting public transport is a priority with another 1.55 million people expected to move to Brisbane by 2041.
During the Sydney 2000 and London 2012 Olympics, overall public transport patronage increased almost by one million trips per day.
The race will be on for the next government to come up with a Games plan but Ms Holmes says it would be hard to predict Brisbane 2032's legacy even if provided an Olympic blueprint.
"The legacies of these events can be quite patchy," she argues.
"There might be a boost in tourism around the event or the next couple of years but there's no real evidence that long term it creates this boost.
"It is usually public sector money that is invested when the benefits would be realised by private businesses - the public benefits aren't necessarily there."
If you build it, they will come - or so they say in the movies.
But the next election's outcome may yet determine whether 2032 will become Brisbane's Field of Dreams.
