So what about the crocodiles?
They’re not mentioned anywhere in the latest update from the IOC and World Rowing and they weren’t referenced in the media release about the technical assessment. That report itself has not yet been made public.
The safety management plan for this weekend’s school regatta does however mention 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.”
Procedures this weekend include suspending racing and competitors returning to the bank if a croc is spotted. The official signal for a sighting is the call of “crocodile, crocodile, crocodile”.
Asked specifically about crocodiles, New Zealand’s Wickham told the BBC the primary concern was ensuring the “fairest possible course” for rowers. “We would obviously expect any course chosen to be safe for rowers,” he added.
The company owned by Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart, Hancock Prospecting, which supported Rockhampton’s bid and has pumped tens of millions of dollars into sports including rowing, pointed to “fake media” concerns about risks posed by flooding and crocodiles 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.
And those who argue the tabloid-friendly crocodile debate is overblown, say the biggest of the creatures live downstream. The less-dangerous freshwater crocodiles are more likely to be spotted in the rowing arena, they say.
Also contested by government is the flood risk, though Rowing Queensland’s O’Loughlin says that their schools event was due to be held on the Fitzroy in August 2024, but had to be moved after the course was washed away.
Brisbane 2032’s chief executive has said organisers are making contingency plans “as we would for any venue”.
The 2000 Olympics venue in Sydney is ready and waiting as a backup – though that would be unconscionable for Queenslanders.
