Overview
- Queensland Sports Minister Tim Mander said Thursday there is no Plan B and confirmed Olympic rowing will be staged on Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River as part of a push to spread events beyond Brisbane.
- World Rowing and the International Canoe Federation are due to visit the river in the coming weeks, with a World Rowing expert expected to finish the formal assessment by June.
- Following positive talks with the federations, the state’s Games infrastructure authority said it is evaluating two preferred field‑of‑play options on the Fitzroy.
- Reports say the course will likely need widening and dredging to deliver a straight 2,000‑metre stretch with about 3‑metre depth, and critics have flagged strong currents and even crocodiles as risks to fair racing.
- Alternatives such as a proposed still‑water course at a former quarry in Moreton Bay have been floated locally, yet the government says it will not consider backups, a stance that has some rowers warning the events could default to Sydney’s Penrith course if approval falls through.