Olympic rowing venue approved despite fairness concerns, crocodiles downplayed

Queensland's Fitzroy River, home to roughly 500 saltwater crocodiles, has been officially approved as the venue for rowing and canoe sprint at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. The decision came Thursday after a technical assessment by engineers and the Games' infrastructure authority, who examined the riverbed, competition course, water flows, levels, and expected weather during the Games. World Rowing president Jean-Christophe Rolland announced the river was "capable of providing fair competition conditions," and Thomas Konietzko, president of Paddle Worldwide, expressed confidence in the venue for canoe sprint athletes as well.

But the path to approval was contested, and not primarily over the crocodiles. While saltwater crocodiles in the Fitzroy can reach four metres long, state government records spanning more than 40 years show no attacks on humans. The reptiles barely surfaced in official discussions at last month's World Rowing congress in Amsterdam. Instead, international rowing bodies raised concerns about fairness—a word that kept appearing in conversations with British Rowing's chief executive Tom Solesbury and others. The Fitzroy's tidal nature, its natural bends and currents, make it unsuitable for elite competition, many in the rowing community argued. Drew Ginn, who won three Olympic gold medals for Australia in rowing, told the BBC he worried about potential flooding and the venue's "fairness and integrity." He acknowledged the crocodile question almost as an afterthought: "Personally, I'm not fearful of the Australian animals but I've never had a crocodile near me. I'm sure I'd row faster, I'm sure all the athletes would row faster. That's on the list of concerns, I don't think it's the highest priority in concerns but it was certainly cited very early on."

German rowing body president Moritz Petri raised another objection: the venue sits roughly 600 kilometres from Brisbane, raising questions about sustainability and logistics. These concerns were dismissed by Queensland state premier David Crisafulli, who accused international rowing figures of trying to bully their way out of visiting regional Queensland. "Let's be honest, let's scratch beneath the surface and call it for what it is," he said days after the Amsterdam meeting. "It is a group of interstate and overseas elites who are trying to bully their way because they don't want to go to regional Queensland and that's not right." Petri and Simon Wickham, chief executive of Rowing New Zealand, pushed back, insisting their concerns had nothing to do with regional preference but with ensuring their athletes—who train four years for Olympic competition—got a fair racing course.

The state government's own 2025 commissioned report had concluded the Fitzroy was unsuitable and recommended using Sydney's existing 2000 Olympics rowing course instead. That recommendation was ignored. Crisafulli declared victory in parliament: "The Fitzroy has passed with flying colours. It's official. Signed, sealed and delivered." The venue still faces a final assessment covering design, value for money, and long-term community legacy, but since the state government holds that decision, approval is considered unlikely to fail.

Rockhampton, a city surrounded by cattle producers that normally sees its biggest visitor surge during Beef Week every three years, will now prepare for an Olympic influx. The crocodiles, meanwhile, have been quietly sidelined from official Olympic discourse. They do not appear in the latest updates from the International Olympic Committee or World Rowing, nor in the media release about the technical assessment. The technical report itself has not been made public. Yet the safety management plan for this weekend's school rowing regatta—more than 600 of Queensland's most promising teenage rowers competing on the same river—mentions crocodiles 28 times. It acknowledges the Fitzroy sits "within recognised crocodile country" and establishes procedures: if a crocodile is spotted, racing suspends and competitors return to the bank. The official signal is the call of "crocodile, crocodile, crocodile." Hancock Prospecting, the company owned by Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart, which backed Rockhampton's bid and has invested tens of millions in sports including rowing, dismissed crocodile and flooding concerns as "fake media" worries. A company spokesperson noted that local children have trained and competed in the river for years without incident. Those defending the venue also point out that the largest crocodiles live downstream, while the smaller, less-dangerous freshwater variety are more likely in the rowing area. Rowing Queensland's head Anthea O'Loughlin acknowledged that a schools event scheduled for August 2024 had to be moved when the course was washed away by flooding. Brisbane 2032's chief executive said contingency plans are being made "as we would for any venue"—and Sydney's 2000 Olympics course remains available as a backup, though Queensland officials would find that outcome unacceptable.