Will a river full of crocs host the 2032 Olympic rowing finals?
This weekend over 600 top teenage rowers will tackle the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, despite its resident crocodile population.
Anthea O’Loughlin, head of Rowing Queensland, told the BBC that media interest has finally arrived.
Six years from now the Brisbane Games will feature rowing and canoe sprint on this very stretch, now cleared as safe and fair for competitors.
Around 500 saltwater crocodiles, some up to four metres long, roam the river, yet state records spanning four decades show no human attacks.
Even at last month’s World Rowing congress in Amsterdam, safety was mentioned, but the reptiles weren’t the headline worry.
British Rowing chief Tom Solesbury flagged “fairness” concerns, pointing to the river’s natural bends and currents that could skew elite races.
Three‑time Olympic champion Drew Ginn warned of possible flooding and questioned the venue’s fairness and integrity.
He admitted he isn’t scared of Australian wildlife, but he’s never had a crocodile at his side.
Ginn added that faster rowing times might result, yet he placed the croc issue low on the priority list.
German rowing president Moritz Petri noted athletes also fretted about the 600 km distance from Brisbane.
For my money, the river’s quirks outweigh the crocodile hype, a view that earned a blunt rebuke from premier David Crisafulli.
“Let’s be honest, let’s scratch beneath the surface and call it for what it is,” he said after the Amsterdam meeting.
He accused an “interstate and overseas elite” clique of bullying Queensland’s regional venues, a claim rowing officials refused to comment on.
Rowing chiefs declined to respond directly to Crisafulli’s “elites” label when approached by the BBC.
Petri and New Zealand’s Simon Wickham stressed their worries centered on fair competition, not urban versus regional bias.
Petri said the issue boiled down to giving their athletes the best chance to chase Olympic dreams night after night.
Ginn concluded that true elite status comes from two decades of expertise, a sentiment he wears proudly.
In the end, World Rowing and the IOC made the final call on the river’s suitability, outweighing croc chatter.
On Thursday they signed off after an engineering firm and Games infrastructure authority vetted the riverbed, flow, levels and weather prospects.
World Rowing president Jean‑Christophe Rolland declared the Fitzroy capable of delivering fair competition during the Games.
Paddle Worldwide president Thomas Konietzko echoed confidence for canoe sprint athletes on the same water.
Premier Crisafulli celebrated, saying the Fitzroy “passed with flying colours” and is now officially approved.
The state ignored its own 2025 report that deemed the site unsuitable, which had recommended the Sydney 2000 Olympic course instead.
A final design, value‑for‑money and legacy review remains, but the state government is unlikely to reverse its stance.
Debate will persist over whether Rockhampton deserves such a massive rowing investment and can handle the 2032 visitor surge.
The town sits amid cattle farms and usually sees its busiest period every three years during Beef Week.
So, what about the crocodiles?
They’re absent from the latest IOC and World Rowing updates and from the technical assessment press release, which remains unpublished.
The school regatta’s safety plan, however, references “crocodile” 28 times.
It notes the Fitzroy lies in recognised crocodile country, so a sighting must be assumed possible.
No waterway in crocodile country can be guaranteed croc‑free, the plan warns.
If a croc appears, races pause and crews retreat to shore, signalled by the call “crocodile, crocodile, crocodile.”
When asked about crocs, New Zealand’s Wickham said the priority is the fairest possible course, with safety assumed.
Hancock Prospecting, backed by Gina Rinehart, dismissed “fake media” fears about flooding and crocodiles in the Fitzroy.
A spokesperson noted locals have trained and competed there for years without a single croc incident.
Critics say the sensational croc debate overshadows the fact that larger saltwater crocs live downstream, while smaller freshwater ones may appear in the rowing lane.
The government also disputes flood risk, though O’Loughlin says a school event slated for August 2024 was moved after the course was washed out.
Brisbane 2032 chief executive assures contingency plans are in place, just as they would be for any venue.
The backup Sydney 2000 course stands ready, though many Queenslanders would find that unacceptable.
For the young rowers at this weekend’s regatta, the controversy fades as they take to the water.
Some may even become contenders for the 2032 Games.
“For our students, the Fitzroy is first and foremost their home water,” says Phillip Moulds, headmaster of The Rockhampton Grammar School.
He adds the river has launched many athletes who later competed at the highest national and international levels.