Brisbane 2032 will prepare contingency plans for Olympic rowing as World Rowing continues its technical assessment of Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River.
The assurance followed questions from British, New Zealand, German and Canadian representatives at the World Rowing Congress in Amsterdam. They raised concerns about flooding, currents, environmental sustainability, crocodiles and whether the course could provide fair racing across every lane.
Cindy Hook, chief executive of the Brisbane 2032 organising committee, said flood risk and alternative locations were being considered.
“There is a risk of flooding there, there’s a risk of flooding in the Brisbane River as well,” Hook said. “We will have to come up with contingency plans, as we would for any venue.”
Federations Press for Answers
Rowing New Zealand chief executive Simon Wickham said Australian rowers had contacted international federations with information about the river. He asked how organisers intended to manage the flood risk.
German Rowing Federation president Moritz Petri questioned the logic of building a course away from Brisbane and the athletes’ village when the Sydney International Regatta Centre at Penrith remains available.
“Isn’t it more sustainable from an environmental perspective?” Petri said.
British Rowing chief executive Tom Solesbury said concerns raised with his federation centred on “fairness and delivery”. Rowing Canada president Tracey Black asked whether organisers would consider a new venue if the technical findings were less favourable than expected.
Hook cautioned against treating any proposed alternative as an immediate solution. “There are a lot of people talking about this, not always with full facts, especially when it comes to throwing out other potential locations,” she said.
Technical Approval Remains Outstanding
Marine engineering consultancy Waterproof is conducting an 18-month study for the organising committee. Its work covers underwater topography, river-flow patterns, water levels, wind and wave conditions, and environmental effects.
World Rowing must determine whether the proposed 2,000-metre course meets its racing rules and technical requirements. The Fitzroy is tidal and vulnerable to flooding, while currents, depth, sediment, wind exposure, water quality and weeds could affect conditions across the lanes. Saltwater crocodiles are also present in the river.
“Fairness and safety are paramount to any venue hosting events of this magnitude and importance,” World Rowing said when Queensland announced Rockhampton in March 2025.
World Rowing president Jean-Christophe Rolland said the federation was “appreciative of the engagement and assessment carried out to date”, but that “fairness and integrity of competition is our utmost priority”. The work completed so far has advanced the project, but World Rowing has not given final approval.
Queensland chose Rockhampton despite an independent Games infrastructure review recommending Penrith. The review cited insufficient field-of-play and warm-up space, inadequate shoreside facilities, road upgrades and limited accommodation.
The decision also followed lobbying by Rowing Australia patron Gina Rinehart, although released documents do not establish what influence her intervention had. Her letter backed Rockhampton as a way to spread Olympic investment into regional Queensland.
Queensland Defends Rockhampton
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli responded to the international criticism by accusing opponents of trying to remove the Games from regional communities.
“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,” Crisafulli said.
Rockhampton MP Donna Kirkland said rowing and canoe sprint would remain on the Fitzroy. She pointed to the Queensland Schools’ Championship Regatta, which is expected to bring more than 800 young rowers to the river from 19 to 21 September.
A schools regatta does not settle the questions facing an Olympic course. World Rowing has said the Fitzroy has been used for training but has not hosted the senior Australian championships, and its technical approval remains outstanding.
Penrith and a proposed purpose-built precinct at Lawnton in Moreton Bay remain the publicly identified alternatives. Queensland continues to treat Rockhampton as the selected venue while the assessment proceeds.
