The Australian city of Brisbane has been picked to host the 2032 Olympics, the inevitable winner of a one-city race steered by the IOC to avoid rival bids.

Brisbane will be the third Australian city to host the Games, after Sydney in 2000 and Melbourne in 1956. It will mark the return of the Games to Australia 32 years after the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Brisbane will be the third Australian city to host the Olympics, after Sydney and Melbourne

“It’s a historic day not just for Brisbane and Queensland, but for the entire country. Only global cities can secure the Olympic Games – so this is fitting recognition for Brisbane’s standing across our region and the world,” prime minister Scott Morrison said.

“It also marks an important leap forward for Australia as we look toward major events that lock in economic growth and social benefits that will echo for years to come.”

Several candidates had publicly expressed an interest in staging the 2032 Games including Indonesia, Hungary’s capital Budapest, China, Qatar’s Doha and Germany’s Ruhr valley region.

But in a new process adopted by the IOC that does not openly pit candidates against each other, Brisbane had already moved ahead of any rival back in February, having been selected as a “preferred host”.

Tokyo is hosting the postponed 2020 Olympics this week and Paris will stage the 2024 Games. Los Angeles has been awarded the 2028 summer Olympics.