Queensland’s deputy premier has put the kibosh on a south-east Queensland council’s plan to host the 2032 Olympic rowing, saying the events will happen in Rockhampton or not at all.
The City of Moreton Bay planned to discuss on Wednesday a new rowing venue at what is currently a quarry in Lawnton, just north of Brisbane.
News of the potential new venue comes after months of speculation that the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton might be unsuitable for Olympic level rowing due to its susceptibility to fast currents.
With testing of the river being undertaken by the Games Independent Infrastructure Coordination Authority (GIICA), the Moreton Bay plan emerged out of the blue.
The venue, flagged in the council’s meeting agenda as a new flatwater precinct, is backed by the quarry’s operators, Boral Cement. The venue for Sydney 2000 Olympics, at Penrith, was also constructed on a former quarry.
But deputy premier Jarrod Bleijie dismissed the idea out of hand, and said he had already told Moreton Bay mayor Peter Flannery no other options were being considered.
“The Queensland government has decided where the venues are through our 2032 delivery plan, and that’s where they are — it’s not changing,” he said.
When it was put to him that the host contract dictated the International Olympic Committee has final approval for the venues, Bleijie said the government would not budge.
“Rowing is going to be in Rocky. If they don’t want it in Rocky, it ain’t happening,” he said.
“That’s a big call for the IOC, so I think they should just proceed.”
Asked if he was threatening to cancel the rowing if the IOC did not agree to host it in Rockhampton, he said he “didn’t say that”.
Bleijie said early results from the GIICA testing were positive.
“I’ve had no indication that there would be anything but support for rowing in Rocky from the International Federation [of Rowing] or the IOC,” he said.
A Rowing Australia spokesperson said they could not comment on the proposal at this time.
The City of Moreton Bay has been contacted for comment.
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