The Queensland government is aiming to be thrifty and creative rather than splash cash on purpose-built venues for Brisbane's 2032 Olympic bid.
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The Games are set to return to Australia in 11 years' time with Brisbane and Queensland installed as preferred bidder by the International Olympic Committee last week.
Brisbane is all but certain to become the third Australian city to host the Games after Melbourne had the honour in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says in the past state-of-the-art arenas and stadia would be built, but the IOC wants bidders to be thrifty.
She has warned fans not to expect flashy new venues for the 2032 Games.
"It's got to be practical and it's got to be part of the legacy, and what the Olympic Committee wants to do is they want us to look at what do we already have," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters.
"So we've got to look at value for money and we've got to look at where we need to supplement what we already have."
The Brisbane bid is yet to submit a master plan to the IOC, which will finalise the proposed venues.
Ms Palaszczuk said the swimming could occur in the yet to be built Brisbane Live entertainment arena.
AEG Ogden chairman and Brisbane Live proponent Harvey Lister said a temporary pool could easily be set up in the proposed arena.
"This has been done many times. It was done in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne for the World Swimming Championships," he said.
"It's a fast pool, which is really important for for swimmers, and they can go in and go out, it takes a little bit of time, but there's no reason why that can't be done very successfully in an indoor arena."
It's also uncertain where the opening and closing ceremonies would be held.
Ms Palaszczuk said the government was looking at whether to use an existing stadium like Carrara on the Gold Coast or jointly fund a new 50,000-seat venue with other levels of government.
"This is a balancing act. We don't want to build big new stadiums. We need practical solutions," the premier said.
"So we'll be looking very closely and getting the best value for money as we finalise what we need to submit."
Paul Henry, managing director of architecture and design firm Populous, which has been involved in many Olympic plans around the world, said the hosting process had evolved.
He pointed out that the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris was using the existing Stade de France and a range of temporary facilities.
"We're getting more creative about how we can put on Olympics with temporary facilities, but more importantly, looking at how we can make these facilities actually work long term for the city that they're in," Mr Henry said.
"Brisbane has a couple of really significant long-term urban regeneration opportunities around Cross River Rail, and the synergy of existing plans and the Olympics is a fantastic point at the moment that will bode well into the future."
Australian Associated Press
