Fitzroy River in Rockhampton approved for rowing and canoe sprint at 2032 Olympics

World Rowing and the International Olympic Committee approved the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland, as the venue for rowing and canoe sprint at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics on Thursday. The decision followed a technical assessment by an engineering firm and the Games' infrastructure authority.

Each year more than 600 of Queensland’s most promising teenage rowers compete on the Fitzroy in a school regatta that has historically drawn little media attention; as Anthea O'Loughlin, head of Rowing Queensland, told the BBC, "We've never had any media wanting to attend here." The river is inhabited by saltwater crocodiles numbering around 500 that can grow to four metres (13ft) long, yet state government files going back more than 40 years record no attacks on humans. Organisers and World Rowing described the stretch as having passed a technical assessment and being capable of providing safe and fair conditions for athletes.

Concerns raised within the rowing community focused on "fairness" linked to the tidal river's natural bends and currents rather than the crocodiles. Fairness had been raised with British Rowing's chief executive Tom Solesbury as a potential issue for elite competition, and Australian triple Olympic champion Drew Ginn told BBC Radio he had worries about potential flooding and "fairness and integrity" at the venue, adding: "Personally, I'm not fearful of the Australian animals but I've never had a crocodile near me," and "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."

The German rowing body's president Moritz Petri said athletes had asked about the sustainability of staging events some 600km (373 miles) from Brisbane, and Queensland premier David Crisafulli responded sharply to criticism, saying: "Let's be honest, let's scratch beneath the surface and call it for what it is," and "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, told the BBC their concerns related to ensuring fair racing; Petri said it was about athletes who spend years "dreaming night [after] night of becoming an Olympic champion".

World Rowing president Jean-Christophe Rolland said: "Based on the extensive analysis undertaken, we now know that the Fitzroy River is capable of providing fair competition conditions during the period of the Games." Thomas Konietzko, president of Paddle Worldwide, said there was now "confidence" in the river for canoe sprint athletes. Hancock Prospecting, a company supporting Rockhampton's bid, dismissed reports about flooding and crocodiles as "fake media" and stated: "The people of Rocky for many years have sent their own children to train in this river, and for competitions, without a single crocodile incident." Brisbane 2032's chief executive said organisers are making contingency plans "as we would for any venue", and the 2000 Olympics venue in Sydney remains available as a backup.

Crocodiles were not part of the IOC and World Rowing technical update and were not considered in that assessment, but the school regatta's safety management plan mentions the word "crocodile" 28 times. Procedures include suspending racing and competitors returning to the bank if a croc is spotted, with the official signal for a sighting given as the call of "crocodile, crocodile, crocodile". Asked specifically about crocodiles, New Zealand's Wickham told the BBC the primary concern was ensuring the "fairest possible course" for rowers and added, "We would obviously expect any course chosen to be safe for rowers."

For local school crews the Fitzroy remains the familiar training environment. Phillip Moulds, headmaster of The Rockhampton Grammar School, said: "For our students, the Fitzroy is first and foremost their home water," and that "The Fitzroy has also been the starting point for many… some of whom have gone on to compete at the highest levels of the sport nationally and internationally."

The Fitzroy now faces a final assessment covering design, value for money and long-term community legacy before any work proceeds, and that decision rests with the state government; the BBC reported it is unlikely to fall at this hurdle. A wider debate will continue about whether Rockhampton is the right place to invest in rowing facilities and whether the city can accommodate the influx of visitors expected for the 2032 Games.