The Australian Olympic Committee has confirmed that the rowing events at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games will take place on the Fitzroy River, in central Queensland. Nothing particularly unusual about that, except that the stretch of river where the events will be held is normally home to crocodiles. As reported by the Guardian and several other newspapers, after months of discussion over the choice of venue, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli announced the decision in Parliament, explaining that the International Olympic Committee’s assessment of the controversial course had been completed.
“The Fitzroy has passed the test with flying colours,” Crisafulli said. “The decision is official, signed, sealed and delivered.” World Rowing and Paddle Worldwide confirmed that they had supported the independent technical assessment carried out on the regional flatwater course. The venue will host rowing, para-rowing, sprint canoe and para-canoe. The state government had been under strong pressure to reconsider the decision ever since it named the regional river as the competition venue in March 2025. The Fitzroy is a natural habitat for crocodiles, but the bigger concern had been its strong currents, which were considered potentially incompatible with World Rowing standards for international competition.
The debate intensified during a recent World Rowing congress, when the federations of Great Britain, New Zealand and Germany reportedly told Brisbane 2032 officials that their athletes had concerns about the fairness, safety and sustainability of the course. In recent months, 542 rowers had also signed an open letter to the Queensland government calling for the venue to be developed in the south-east of the state. Among them was Drew Ginn, a two-time Olympic champion.
An alternative project at Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, had been promoted by the local council. The proposed course was described as world-class and the estimated cost was roughly half that of the Fitzroy project. Crisafulli, however, had responded firmly to the criticism, accusing his opponents of belonging to an “elite” that looked down on a regional centre. On Thursday, announcing in Parliament that the IOC had approved the Fitzroy River venue, he returned to the issue. “Why the long faces? Many have said it can’t be done. For us, that’s not the case. We believe in regional Queensland, without ifs or buts.”
Among the other concerns raised, quite apart from the crocodiles, were frequent flooding and the large quantities of sediment carried by the river, factors that some believed would require continuous dredging and maintenance to keep the course at Olympic standards. Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie ruled out the need for such work. “There will be no extensions and no dredging,” he said, after analysis established that the river is wide enough to accommodate a full Olympic course with eight lanes, as well as the space needed for the start and finish. “The Fitzroy has the space required for a fully compliant international-standard course over a 2.7-kilometre stretch, which is sufficient for a 2,000-metre rowing race,” Bleijie told Parliament. The IOC approved the flatwater course following a “comprehensive and independent” technical assessment carried out by internationally recognised marine engineering experts, according to the Queensland government. World Rowing and Paddle Worldwide then gave their approval after reviewing the experts’ data and after representatives from both organisations had inspected the site.
“We now know that the Fitzroy River is capable of providing fair racing conditions during the Games,” said World Rowing president Jean-Christophe Rolland. Thomas Konietzko, president of Paddle Worldwide, added that the detailed analysis had provided a much clearer understanding of the course and increased confidence in its ability to host Olympic competition. The Brisbane 2032 organising committee can now move ahead with detailed planning, design and construction of the facilities required for the events. “It is something we have always known: Rockhampton and the Fitzroy River would be the perfect venue for rowing in 2032,” Rockhampton mayor Tony Williams said, welcoming the IOC decision. “Now it is time to start work on the infrastructure and make sure that everything that needs to be done is delivered.” The crocodiles, presumably, can wait.