Olympic sports make 11th-hour bid for 2032 legacy

Olympic sports have made last-ditch legacy appeals ahead of the Queensland government’s response to the independent 100-day infrastructure review being signed off by state cabinet on Monday.

The review’s findings will be released on Tuesday, as Premier David Crisafulli outlines his government’s response, which were to be the final say on Olympic venues for 2032, at a business lunch in Brisbane.

Reports Olympic rowing could be held on Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River have prompted an 11th-hour intervention from the sport’s governing body, with claims the stream could make fair competition impossible.

Rowing Australia CEO Sarah Cook.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Rowing Australia chief executive Sarah Cook said she was concerned the Fitzroy River would not meet technical specifications as it was a flowing body of water.

“We know that neither World Rowing or the IOC have been consulted in relation to this venue, so we simply don’t know if it is feasible at this stage or not,” she said.

“...The main issue for rowing is fairness, so obviously if there’s stream, typically the deeper or the middle section of the river is going to flow faster than the sides of it.

“Because a rowing course is eight to 10 lanes wide, it would make the middle lanes faster than the outside lanes, which is why it can’t be used for an Olympic regatta because or a Paralympic regatta.

“It would be unfair for the competitors.”

Cook said it was her understanding the Games Independent Infrastructure and Co-ordination Authority’s 100-day review had recommended the Sydney 2000 course at Penrith.

Rowing Australia’s preference was for a new facility at a south-east Queensland dam, such as Wyaralong or Hinze Dam on the Gold Coast.

Hockey, meanwhile, has repeated calls for Olympic competition to be played at the Gold Coast Hockey Centre, rather than the home of rugby union at Ballymore.

Hockey Queensland chief executive Alison Lyons said hosting hockey at Ballymore would be an expensive mistake, costing $30 million for a temporary pitch that would only be used for a two-week competition.

“If Ballymore were a genuine and sensible option, then investors would have supported its redevelopment decades ago, but they haven’t,” she said.

“No-one wants to invest in a mud pit with atrocious transport connectivity where even local sporting clubs cannot get insurance due to the flood risk.”

Lyons said the Gold Coast option was a “cost-effective solution” that would deliver a successful Olympics and a lasting legacy for the sport.

“We urge the GIICA and the Queensland government not to invest in a $30 million-plus mud pit that will only be used for 14 days and instead make sensible use of a re-purposed existing asset for a fraction of that cost,” she said.

Australia v India hockey at the Gold Coast Hockey Centre during the 2018 Commonwealth Games.Credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

If Ballymore did get the nod, Hockey Australia chief executive David Pryles said the sport would push for upgrades at the State Hockey Centre at Colmslie and new hockey facilities across the state.

“The work doesn’t stop with one Olympic venue decision,” he said.

“If the Queensland government is serious about delivering a genuine Olympic legacy, then hockey infrastructure funding must be part of that commitment.”

Earlier this month, Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Dave Hanham said they remained hopeful Ballymore would be an Olympic venue.

“We just want to be contributing to the Olympics – if that’s hockey or it’s not and some other sport, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

“We just know we can be a great precinct and high-performance venue, but also a Games venue for the Olympics in 2032.”

GIICA’s 100-day review was handed to Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie two weeks ago, as Cyclone Alfred battered the south-east Queensland coast.

The state government has sat on the report for two weeks, ostensibly to consult with stakeholders, ahead of its release – along with the government’s venue plan – on Tuesday.

A new stadium at Victoria Park has been widely tipped as the main Olympic venue, while there is speculation the LNP government was looking to ignore GIICA’s recommendation for an arena at Woolloongabba in favour of regional venues.

The regionalisation of the abandoned 2026 Victoria Commonwealth Games was one of the driving forces driving up the cost of the Games delivery.

- with Nick Wright

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