Some of Australia’s most decorated Olympians have stressed the importance of fit-for-purpose venues at the Brisbane 2032 Games, as the Queensland government continued to insist the controversial plan to host Olympic rowing and canoeing on a river .

Olympic swimming legend Ian Thorpe said he hoped Brisbane’s planned National Aquatic Centre at Victoria Park learnt the lessons from Sydney 2000, where the Homebush venue was made without consultation with elite sport.

Gold medal winners Jess Fox and Ian Thorpe. Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“The pool’s basically been filled in, so you can’t use it at an appropriate height that wouldn’t be dangerous for young people warming up at a competition,” he said, referring to the decision to maintain the training pool at a shallow fixed height for community use, which prevented the depth required for high-velocity competition entries.

“...The conditions now you need [to host elite competition are] two 50-metre pools in the same venue – that’s what the governing body…