Crocodile-ridden river cleared to host 2032 Brisbane Olympics rowing
An independent evaluation has officially cleared the Fitzroy River in the city of Rockhampton to host the rowing and canoe sprint events at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, organisers announced on Thursday.
The flatwater location, chosen as part of a strategy to incorporate regional Queensland into Australia’s third Summer Olympic Games, originally attracted widespread scrutiny due to the presence of roughly 500 saltwater crocodiles in the waterway.
While subsequent concerns focused primarily on the strength of the river’s current, the report confirmed the venue will “provide a safe, fair and consistent field of play”, according to a statement from organisers.
“The assessment included extensive on-water investigations and modelling to understand how the course would perform under a range of conditions, weather patterns, water levels and flood risk at both Games time and throughout the period leading into the Games,” the statement said.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told the state parliament on Thursday that the venue, located approximately 600 km (370 miles) north of Brisbane, had cleared the review “with flying colours”.
“Many have said it can’t be done,” he said. “We back in regional Queensland – no ifs, no buts. Our commitment has been steadfast, and our message is clear: regional Queensland can and will host events on the world stage.”
World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland noted that he had requested a rigorous evaluation of the proposed venue to guarantee equal and fair competition conditions for all athletes.
“We now know that the Fitzroy River is capable of providing fair competition conditions during the period of the Games, consistent with the requirements of Olympic and Paralympic Rowing,” he said in the statement.
Paddle Worldwide, the governing body set to oversee the canoe sprint events, also endorsed the findings published in the report.
“The quality and depth of the technical work undertaken has significantly improved our understanding of the field of play and provides confidence to us and our athletes that the course can deliver fair competition,” President Thomas Konietzko said.
“We look forward to maintaining our strong partnership and continuing to work together to deliver an outstanding Olympic and Paralympic competition venue in Rockhampton for 2032.”
Brisbane’s successful bid for the 2032 Games was evaluated under the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s “New Norms” framework, which encourages the upgrading of existing infrastructure where possible.
Despite this principle, organisers have chosen to build a brand new 63,000-seat Olympic stadium alongside an aquatics centre in a central Brisbane park.
