MELBOURNE, April 16 (Reuters) – Brisbane 2032 organisers are not considering alternatives to the Fitzroy river in central Queensland for the rowing events, an official said on Thursday, despite concerns over a venue renowned for strong tides and crocodiles.
The Rockhampton waterway, a natural crocodile habitat some 600 km (370 miles) north of Brisbane, drew a mixed reception when it was proposed as an Olympic venue a year ago, mainly because of its currents.
Former Olympic rowing champion Drew Ginn said some athletes may be disadvantaged by their lane placement on the river, and a council in northern Brisbane has proposed its own venue in Moreton Bay.
However, Queensland state Olympic minister Tim Mander said organisers were not looking elsewhere.
“We are committed to it, we’re not looking at alternatives. The rowing will be at Rockhampton,” he told reporters in Brisbane. “There’s no reason to be looking at alternatives when you have the level of confidence that we have.”
About 500 rowers signed an open letter last month demanding a rethink of the Fitzroy river proposal. The river passed initial testing by the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority last October.
An expert from World Rowing, the international rowing federation, is expected to assess the venue in coming weeks and decide whether to endorse it for the Games by mid-year.
World Rowing noted potential issues in a statement last year but said it would work with stakeholders to ensure athlete safety and integrity of the competition.
Mander said there was nothing unusual about World Rowing’s coming assessment. “There’s not one thing that they’ve said that would give us concern with regard to going forward,” he said.
