Brisbane 2032 Olympics: David Crisafulli won’t back Jarrod Bleijie’s IOC rowing demand

Premier David Crisafulli has stopped short of backing his deputy Jarrod Bleijie’s demand in the tug of war over Olympic rowing.

Premier David Crisafulli is declining to back his deputy’s demand for compensation from the International Olympic Committee if Rockhampton is found unsuitable to host rowing.

World Rowing technical staff are due to arrive in Queensland in coming months to assess the suitability of the Fitzroy River as a venue in 2032.

Ministers have repeatedly insisted rowing would be held in Rockhampton, and Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Jarrod Bleijie this month raised eyebrows when he insisted the International Olympic Committee should cover the cost of using a different venue.

“If they don’t want it in Rocky then they pay for it,” he said.

Questions to the IOC about whether it would pay to relocate rowing from Rockhampton went unanswered.

Instead, the committee referred to a previous media statement about the implementation of the state government’s 2032 Delivery Plan.

“This will now be subject to technical assessments from the respective international sports federations, the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee to determine venue use at the Olympic Games,” it said.

Mr Crisafulli on Monday declined to say whether the IOC should pay if Rockhampton was deemed unsuitable to host rowing.

Premier David Crisafulli on Monday. Picture: Adam Head

“Rowing will be occurring in Rockhampton and we’re doing all we can and we will be showing the leaders of the Olympic and Paralympic movement, and indeed our friends in the in the rowing community, about why that makes so much sense,” he said.

“I said that we would deliver a plan that gets the show back on the road after 1200 days of confusion and chaos, and part of that was making sure that we could engage regional Queenslanders.

“The feedback that we’ve got from Rocky about that decision shows how much people are yearning for it to occur.”

Asked to clarify whether rowing would be held in Rockhampton, no matter the view of World Rowing, Mr Crisafulli said the government would negotiate.

“I’m very confident of working with them in spirit of good faith, and I can’t wait to see how great it’s going to be,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously suggested Olympic rowing could be held at Penrith in western Sydney, while Scenic Rim Mayor Tom Sharp has argued it should be at Lake Wyaralong – the home of Rowing Queensland.

Opposition infrastructure spokesman Cameron Dick last week appeared on Rockhampton radio to call on Mr Crisafulli to “put the gossip to bed”.

“This chatter should stop and the Premier should get on with it and make sure the Games are delivered for Rockhampton,” he said.

“When there’s a vacuum the risk is other people get involved, other players put up their heads – they start to influence outcomes.”

Infrastructure Minister Jarrod Bleijie on Sunday

Originally published as Brisbane 2032 Olympics: David Crisafulli won’t back Jarrod Bleijie’s IOC rowing demand