This Olympic river has 500 crocodiles in it - but that's not the main concern

This Olympic river has 500 crocodiles in it - but that's not the main concern

Queensland's Fitzroy River, home to saltwater crocodiles, has been approved as an Olympics rowing venue for 2032

The annual school rowing regatta in Queensland, Australia, usually goes ahead with little fuss. Every year, more than 600 of the state’s most promising teenage rowers compete on the crocodile-populated Fitzroy River in Rockhampton.

"We've never had any media wanting to attend here," Anthea O'Loughlin, head of Rowing Queensland, tells the BBC.

This year, though, is different. In six years’ time, the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics are due to hold rowing and canoe sprint events on this same stretch of water, which has now cleared a technical assessment and been endorsed as safe and fair for athletes.

Saltwater crocodile sightings on the river, where there are about 500 of the reptiles and they can reach four metres (13ft) in length, are not unusual. Even so, state government records stretching back more than 40 years show no attacks on humans.

And although prominent figures at last month’s World Rowing congress in Amsterdam occasionally mentioned "safety", the crocodiles were not the main issue.

What has been raised with British Rowing chief executive Tom Solesbury is "fairness" — a reference to the tidal river’s natural bends and currents, which many in the rowing world argue make it unsuitable for elite racing.

Drew Ginn, who won three Olympic gold medals for Australia in rowing, told BBC Radio he was worried about possible flooding and "fairness and integrity" at the venue.

"Personally, I'm not fearful of the Australian animals but I've never had a crocodile near me," he said.

"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."

Moritz Petri, president of the German rowing body, said athletes had also questioned whether it was sustainable to stage the event about 600km (373 miles) from Brisbane.

But the "so-called impediments" were dismissed by Queensland’s most senior politician, state premier David Crisafulli, who used less diplomatic wording.

"Let's be honest, let's scratch beneath the surface and call it for what it is," he said days after the Amsterdam meeting.

"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."

Before Thursday’s decision, rowing officials contacted by the BBC declined to respond directly to Crisafulli’s comments about "elites".

However, both Petri and Simon Wickham, chief executive of Rowing New Zealand, said their objections had nothing to do with choosing regional over urban locations, but with ensuring fair racing for competitors.

Petri said it was about doing what is best for athletes who will train for four years for the event, "dreaming night [after] night of becoming an Olympic champion".

Whether the deciding factor was crocodiles or currents, the final call rested with World Rowing and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the sport’s governing bodies.

On Thursday, they approved the venue after a technical assessment by an engineering firm and the Games’ infrastructure authority, which examined the riverbed, competition course, river flows, water levels and likely weather conditions during the Games.

"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," World Rowing president Jean-Christophe Rolland said.

Thomas Konietzko, president of canoe sprint’s governing body, Paddle Worldwide, said there was now also "confidence" in the river for canoe sprint athletes.

The state premier was pleased. "The Fitzroy has passed with flying colours," an upbeat Crisafulli told parliament. "It's official. Signed, sealed and delivered."

By supporting Rockhampton, the state government set aside a 2025 report it had commissioned, which said the site was unsuitable and concluded that the best option would be to use a course built in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics.

The Fitzroy still has to clear a final assessment covering its design, value for money and long-term community legacy. Because the decision lies with the state government, it is unlikely to fail at this stage.

Still, a broader argument will continue over whether Rockhampton is the right place for major investment in rowing facilities — and whether it can handle the 2032 surge of visitors.

The city is ringed by cattle producers and usually sees its highest number of visitors every three years during Beef Week.

Queensland premier David Crisafulli said "interstate and overseas elites" had pushed back against the Rockhampton venue

So what about the crocodiles?

They are not mentioned in the latest IOC and World Rowing update, and they were not part of the technical assessment.

However, the safety management plan for this weekend’s school regatta uses the word "crocodile" 28 times.

"The Fitzroy River is within recognised crocodile country," it says.

"Event planning must therefore assume that a crocodile sighting is possible… No natural waterway in crocodile country can be guaranteed to be crocodile-free."

This weekend’s procedures include stopping racing and sending competitors back to the bank if a croc is seen. The official alert for a sighting is the phrase "crocodile, crocodile, crocodile".

When asked specifically about crocodiles, New Zealand’s Wickham told the BBC that the main issue was making sure rowers had the "fairest possible course". "We would obviously expect any course chosen to be safe for rowers," he added.

Hancock Prospecting, the company owned by Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart, which backed Rockhampton’s bid and has invested millions in sports including rowing, pointed to "fake media" concerns about flooding and crocodile risks in the Fitzroy.

"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," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Brisbane 2032’s chief executive has said organisers are preparing contingency plans "as we would for any venue".

The Sydney venue from the 2000 Olympics is available as a backup — though that would be unconscionable for Queenslanders.

Saltwater crocodiles are known to live in the Fitzroy River

For the school-age rowers competing at this weekend’s regatta, none of the controversy really matters as they head onto the water.

Among them could be future 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.

"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."