Fitzroy River, Home to 500 Crocodiles, Cleared to Host 2032 Olympic Rowing

The Verdict: Fair Water, Untested Crocodiles

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told the state parliament on Thursday, September 17, that the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton has been officially cleared to host rowing and canoe sprint events at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. "It's official, signed, sealed and delivered," he said, according to AAP News.

The independent technical assessment was commissioned by the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority. It examined "how the course would perform under a range of conditions, weather patterns, water levels and flood risk," according to a GIICA statement cited by the BBC.

The assessment did not consider the crocodiles at all, per the BBC. Roughly 500 saltwater crocodiles live in the Fitzroy River, according to multiple outlets including The Independent and The Japan Times. The report that just cleared this venue for a global sporting event never studied them.

Who Signed Off

World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland endorsed the findings, saying "we now know that the Fitzroy River is capable of providing fair competition conditions during the period of the Games," according to a statement carried by the BBC, The Japan Times and The Straits Times. Rolland said he'd personally demanded a rigorous review before signing off.

Paddle Worldwide President Thomas Konietzko backed it too, saying the technical work "provides confidence to us and our athletes that the course can deliver fair competition."

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie told parliament the river needs "no widening, no dredging" and can fit a full 2.7-kilometer, eight-lane Olympic course, according to The Guardian.

Money and Fairness

The actual controversy centered on cost and fairness. The Guardian reported that British, New Zealand and German rowing federations told 2032 organizers at a recent World Rowing congress that their athletes were worried about the venue's fairness, safety and sustainability. That concern came from people who actually have to race there.

An open letter signed by 542 rowers, including Olympic gold medallist Drew Ginn, was sent to the Queensland government asking for the venue to be moved to southeast Queensland instead, according to AAP News and The Guardian. Critics pointed to an alternative site at Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, that was promoted by the local council as a world-standard course at roughly half the cost of Rockhampton, per The Guardian.

Governments building Olympic infrastructure have a track record of blowing budgets, and if a cheaper site nearby could deliver the same result, taxpayers deserve to know why it was passed over. Crisafulli dismissed the critics as "elites" thumbing their nose at a regional center, according to The Guardian, which is a political jab rather than an answer to the cost question.

What The Locals Actually Say About the Crocodiles

Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams didn't pretend the crocodiles don't exist. "We're not shying away from it, there are crocodiles in the system," he told AAP News, adding that "crocodile management can be put in place" and urging people to be "croc-wise."

Local crocodile farmer John Lever told AAP News that crocodiles rarely show up in the freshwater stretch where the course sits. "I think we've had four removed in 40 years," he said, noting schools already row there daily. That's one man's operational history, not a scientific safety study, but it's the closest thing to on-the-ground data in the record so far.

Brisbane 2032 President Andrew Liveris waved off the concern entirely last year, comparing it to ocean swimmers coexisting with sharks, according to the BBC. An IOC official reportedly asked at a recent meeting whether crocodiles would be fenced off, warning that an athlete bite would be "the end of the Games," according to AAP News.

What's Next

The Queensland Schools Rowing Championships are scheduled to run on the Fitzroy River starting Saturday, September 19, according to AAP News, giving the venue its first real test run since the government first floated it as host site back in March 2025. No source in this record shows any independent study of crocodile risk specific to Olympic-level athlete traffic during Games time in 2032.