Rowers push for Moreton Bay course over Fitzroy River for Brisbane 2032 Olympics
The Queensland rowing community has been called on to lobby the state and federal governments to support a proposed course at Moreton Bay that aims to highlight Rockhampton as the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic events in 2032.
Last week the City of Moreton Bay unveiled plans for a proposed 20,000-seat course at the decommissioned Boral pit at Lawnton in a bold gamble to resume high-profile rowing competition in south-east Queensland.
It received enthusiastic support from a crowd of 200 at a town hall hosted by Rowing Queensland at the West End’s Southern Leagues Club on Wednesday night, where they were urged to keep up the pressure on elected officials to make the project a success.
Queensland Rowing Director Angus Blackwood said the bid would meet the sport’s long-term aim to establish a home in south-east Queensland, where 78 per cent of its members are based.
Much of the urgency was around the Crisafulli government’s captain’s call for Rockhampton to host rowing on the Fitzroy River against the advice of its own 100-day site review; this decision still had to be approved by international rowing and rowing bodies.
Blackwood fielded a question from the podium Wednesday night about the “politicized” election and whether the Lawnton bid would move forward without the promise of Olympic competition.
“[The Fitzroy River] “It is subject to a technical review and we look forward to the outcome of that technical review,” Blackwood said.
“We will work with relevant state bodies and state government officials depending on this decision. I don’t think we can say any more than we can now; we just have to wait for that decision.”
Others were less diplomatic.
Prominent Brisbane businessman Steve Wilson, who is behind another proposal to resume Olympic rowing in south-east Queensland near Lake Kurwongbah, said “we will fail” if rowing does not receive a proper legacy from the Games in the Brisbane region.
Wilson said holding rowing in the Brisbane area rather than Rockhampton, about 500 kilometers away, would give the sport more visibility.
He talked about the pleasant days of rowing in the city where tens of thousands of people watched the King’s Cup from the banks of the Brisbane River.
“You can’t row competitively on a strong tidal river, but being this close [at Moreton Bay] “It will greatly increase the number of people going to and watching the races,” he said.
Wilson said the legacy of a venue in Lawnton would be “epic” because it would allow more people to watch the sport live and be inspired to take it on.
“Seventy-eight percent [Queensland] the rowers are in south-east Queensland,” he said.
“If you’re going to talk about legacy, it’s game over and South East Queensland is growing much faster than anywhere else.”
City of Moreton Bay commercial manager Andrew Roach said the $250 million venue, which will need government funding of around $150 million, could be completed by 2031 if work is given the green light in the near future.
“You can have something amazing here in south-east Queensland that already supports 78 per cent of your membership and I’m sure you’ll find a few more paddlers in that group as our membership grows from 500,000 to a million,” he said.
Roach said the discussions would help fund discussions while hosting the Olympics, and the council hoped to be able to go ahead regardless.
“We would love to [rowing] to be there because you’re going to get the ultimate upfront payment, but if that wasn’t the case then we’d have to go back and work on that with our joint venture partners,” he said.
“The council thinks this will be a fantastic community facility.
“It may not be all bells and whistles in the long run [if it was overlooked for Olympic competition]But we need to address such issues once we understand what is going on.
If World Rowing and the International Olympic Committee decide the Fitzroy River is unsuitable, the Sydney International Rowing Center in Penrith has been looming large as a potential replacement venue.
The Games’ Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority recommended Penrith as the sport’s host venue in its 100-day review last year.
Roach said it was that advice that sparked fire at Moreton Bay council.
“We decided we needed to come out and let everyone know that this is an option, a viable option,” he said.
“We’ve done the work, here’s the work, and now we wanted to provide it to the people of substance – you – to advocate for it and make sure it doesn’t go to Sydney.”
Blackwood urged those present to lobby local state and federal lawmakers to secure funding for the project.
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