River home to 500 crocodiles chosen as Olympic rowing venue

River home to 500 crocodiles chosen as Olympic rowing venue. A river that is home to about 500 saltwater crocodiles is given the OK to host Olympic and Paralympic rowing and canoeing events at the 2032 Brisbane Games.

What happened

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Saltwater crocodiles are the largest reptiles on the planetByMandeep SangheraBBC Sport journalistPublished17 September 2026, 10:03 BSTUpdated 25 minutes agoA river that is home to about 500 saltwater crocodiles has been given the OK to host Olympic and Paralympic rowing and canoeing events at the 2032 Brisbane Games. As a recognised rowing facility, contingency plans are in place at events for when crocodiles are spotted and Olympic officials have previously been assured of rower safety. "Based on the extensive analysis undertaken, we now know that the Fitzroy River is capable of providing fair competition conditions during the period of the Games, consistent with the requirements of Olympic and Paralympic Rowing," World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland said. , externalPaddle Worldwide President Thomas Konietzko said: "The quality and depth of the technical work undertaken has significantly improved our understanding of the field of play and provides confidence to us and our athletes that the course can deliver fair competition for Canoe Sprint athletes.

Brisbane to build 63,000-seater stadium for 2032 GamesPublished25 March 2025Brisbane confirmed as 2032 Games hostPublished21 July 2021'I'm sure all the athletes would row faster'Drew Ginn, who won three Olympic gold medals for Australia in rowing, told BBC Radio he has concerns over potential flooding and "fairness and integrity" at the venue, along with the Olympic experience for athletes and spectators at a location "six or seven hours" from Brisbane. "Things like relocating crocodiles out of the river, you sort of go, 'does international rowing want to have the athletes in jeopardy of that sort of stuff? '.

The report was commissioned by the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA), which noted, external that the Fitzroy River Flatwater Facility "is already a training and competition venue for flatwater sports, supporting school state championships, local regattas, and national team training camps". "And, while I'm thinking Rockhampton is a great town, I just don't think it's right for the Olympic Games to spread the venues out in such a way that jeopardises the experience for the athletes and spectators.

The wider picture

The course on the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland, has passed an independent technical assessment into its suitability. The assessment did not consider the crocodiles but instead looked at "how the course would perform under a range of conditions, weather patterns, water levels and flood risk at both Games time and throughout the period leading into the Games". World Rowing and Paddle Worldwide, formerly International Canoe Federation, both endorsed the course. "Brisbane 2032 President Andrew Liveris played down the issue of crocodiles last year.

Speaking on Thursday about the venue having now been given the go-ahead, he said: "The endorsement provides additional certainty as we move into the next phase of venue planning and Games delivery, ensuring all future design and operational work continues to focus solely on Rockhampton. "Saltwater crocodiles – known locally as Salties – live in both freshwater and saltwater and can grow to be in excess of six metres long. "Even just the idea of being at a venue where you could have your race decided by half a second and it could show it's different in lanes by two or three seconds.

Photograph: Vive Arts and Atlas VReviewPlaying With Fire review – like Disney’s Fantasia on steroids as a virtual Yuja Wang plays amid luminous dreamworldsSouthbank Centre, London Wang’s avatar performs music from Ravel and Debussy to Prokofiev and Liszt while dizzying virtual worlds take shape around her in this virtual reality installationIt might be the first time that a soloist at the Last Night of the Proms is simultaneously giving another performance in another London venue.

What has been reported

A collaboration between the pianist, the director Pierre-Alain Giraud and artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir, produced by Vive Arts and Atlas V, it has already been seen in Cannes, Paris and Shanghai, and now has a home in London until new year. "There are sharks in the ocean and we're still surfing. . . it's a can do, not a can't do – please change the mindset here," he said at the time. "Personally, I'm not fearful of the Australian animals but I've never had a crocodile near me," he said.

"I'm sure I'd row faster, I'm sure all the athletes would row faster. That's on the list of concerns, I don't think it's the highest priority in concerns but it was certainly cited very early on. Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Potentially overwhelming … a VR still from Playing With Fire. Photograph: Vive Arts and Atlas VView image in fullscreenPotentially overwhelming … a VR still from Playing With Fire. Playing With Fire is an installation that lets the pianist Yuja Wang be in two places at once – or perhaps in two universes.

What happens next

Nine pieces of music conjure nine luminous dreamworlds for an audience wearing VR headsets: Disney’s Fantasia on steroids. Headsets on, we hear the click of Wang’s heels as her avatar emerges out of the pixels and walks to the piano stool. Or rather, the Steinway Spirio player piano in the middle of the room, programmed by Wang, plays – and we see digitised Wang play it. She begins with Ravel’s Jeux d’Eau, and after only a few seconds we are immersed, literally: water pools beneath the piano, then rises until we are submerged in a world of imaginary sea creatures.

It’s enchanting, unnerving and in a way primal, all at once. After Debussy has led us to dry land again, Wang storms through the Danse Infernale from Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird as the blazing bird swoops over our heads and creatures made of lava dance madly around us: a wild rumpus with Wang calm yet ferocious at its centre. View image in fullscreenThe future of performance? … Playing With Fire.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.