A group of mayors from across south-east Queensland has launched a study to decide whether Brisbane should make a bid to host the 2028 Olympic Games.

Such a proposal would require support from the federal and state governments before being put to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).

Almost a dozen mayors have joined together and have commissioned a feasibility study into hosting the 2028 Games.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk lead the charge, saying he plans to hold talks with the AOC.

However, cr Quirk said a formal expression of interest was still some way off.

"This is, as the old Chinese proverb goes, a long journey, but every journey starts with a single step," he said.

"This is a very small step before there would be any formal bid in 2019."

Cr Quirk said the idea had come from the International Olympic Committee president who said he thought it would be good for Australia to bid for one of the Games in the 2020s.

AOC president John Coates had then suggested that Brisbane would be the next ideal city.

"Brisbane and the surrounding cities and municipalities are really the logical city for another Australian bid to go forward, but a lot of work has to be done," Mr Coates said.

"Brisbane has got a lot of good venues; the Gold Coast is getting venues."

Cr Quirk said south-east Queensland had already proven its capabilities on the world stage.

"We showed that with the G20 [in Brisbane last November]," he said.

"Gold Coast - right now are getting into the gear-up stage of the Commonwealth Games.

"As a region we have a great offering, and we believe that collectively we ought to commence discussions at other levels.

"As a group of mayors who work cooperatively, a group of mayors who represent one in seven Australians, we believe we ought to go another step to have a look further at the potential feasibility around a formal bid in a few years' time for an Olympic Games."

Cr Quirk said no money needed to be committed at this stage.

"This is a single-step decision today, which is to say we want to advance the discussions," he said.

"We're not going to need to look at any money on the table for a few years and that's the point, this is a very, very early stage, all we have done today is agree in principle to take this a step forward.

"For any city or region, you've also got to be looking over the mountain - what's in the future? What are the things that can help our city, our region, be on the map?"

The Council of Mayors (SEQ) was formed in 2005 to try and influence federal and state government policy and funding priorities.

The group includes regional and city councils from the Gold Coast in the south, to the Sunshine Coast in the north, and west to Toowoomba.

Brisbane entered a bid for the 1992 Olympics but finished third behind Barcelona and Paris in the official ballot held in 1986.

The next Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil next year, with the 2020 Games to take place in Tokyo, Japan.