A river home to about 500 crocodiles has been approved to host rowing and canoe competitions at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The proposed course on the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland, successfully passed a technical assessment examining its suitability to host the events.
The independent review did not examine the saltwater crocodiles living in the river. Instead, it assessed how the course would perform under a range of conditions, including different weather patterns, water levels and flood risks, both during the Games and in the years leading up to them.
The assessment was commissioned by GIICA, which noted that the Fitzroy River venue is already used for training and flatwater competitions, including school championships, local events and national team training camps.
Despite the presence of crocodiles, the river is already an established rowing venue, and events held there have procedures in place for cases in which a crocodile is spotted near the competition area. Olympic officials have previously received assurances that rowers can be kept safe.
Rowing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics
(Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
The two international governing bodies overseeing the relevant sports have also approved the course’s suitability.
World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland said that following the comprehensive analysis, it was clear the river could provide fair racing conditions during the Games in line with Olympic and Paralympic rowing requirements.
Brisbane 2032 President Andrew Liveris addressed concerns about the crocodiles last year, arguing that their presence should not rule out the site. “There are sharks in the ocean and we still surf,” he said. “It’s a ‘can do’ attitude, not a ‘can’t do’ attitude. We’ve got to change the mindset here.”