Olympic hosts defy ‘naysayers’ on 2032 Games rowing in Rockhampton

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia (AP) — Not crocodiles, not currents, nor criticism over a shortage of beds will stop the Olympic rowing regatta being staged in the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton at the 2032 Brisbane Games — at least not according to the Australian planners.

In a news conference Thursday at the Rockhampton Rowing Club, Queensland state Premier David Crisafulli lashed out at “naysayers,” accusing critics of the regional venue of elitism.

“I want to put it beyond doubt: rowing and canoeing in 2032 will be held in Rocky,” Crisafulli said, using the local slang for the central Queensland city more widely known as the state’s beef cattle capital. “No ifs, no buts, no maybes … I say to the naysayers, ‘Sorry, we’re not for turning.’”

Rockhampton is about 630 kilometers (390 miles) north of the state capital Brisbane, which is the central Olympic hub for sports venues across Southeast Queensland, also including the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.

Crisafulli’s Queensland state government is the main backer of the 2032 Games.

Ahead of a high school state championship regatta involving up to 800 rowers starting late next week, there’s been complaints about the cost of accommodation and the lack of options for families.

Critics of the Fitzroy River venue plan have voiced concerns since it was announced last year, some worried about nearby crocodile habitat, some flagging the competitive unfairness of the river’s tidal currents, and others saying there’s simply not enough rooms to house all the Olympic rowers and spectators.

World Rowing is undertaking a technical assessment to determine if the venue is suitable for the Olympics.

At a recent World Rowing congress, delegates from Britain, New Zealand and Germany told Brisbane 2032 organizers about athlete concerns, citing a petition of Australian rowers urging organizers to move the venue closer to Brisbane.

Queensland’s Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the some of the critics “think regional Queensland is beneath them.”

He said an athletes village for 1,200 competitors would be built, and there’d be more accommodation options for spectators by 2032.

For now, Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams told the local Win News television there were “plenty of options” for accommodation, ranging from places along the coast to the “over flows,” such as driving up to 1 1/2-hours from the nearby city of Gladstone.

Williams said recent public concerns could be just city folk not having confidence in a regional area staging a global event.

“I could get political and say that I think this is a bit of the ‘Big Smoke’ not wanting to move to the bush for an event,” he said, “but we’ve held these (school) regattas previously, so we do them well.”

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