For rowers, the water isn’t just where we train and race. It’s our home.

So keeping our rivers, lakes, and coastlines clean matters. Nobody wants their rudder picking up trash halfway through a training session — and nobody should have to row through polluted water.

This #WorldCleanupDay, World Rowing is celebrating the people across the rowing community who are taking action to protect the places our sport depends on — from clean-up projects and beach restoration to initiatives that help keep our waterways healthy for the future.

Because cleaner waters mean healthier ecosystems, stronger communities and better places to row.

Varese Rowing and Piùblu Turn Action Into Legacy on Lake Varese

Crew out cleaning up at the 2026 European Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy

On World Clean Up Day, Sunday 20 September, World Rowing is putting the sustainability work surrounding the 2026 European Rowing Championships in Varese in the spotlight.

The rowing community around Lake Varese is not just talking about sustainability — it is taking action. Five eco-volunteers from the Organising Committee joined forces with piùblu ETS, an Italian non-profit dedicated to protecting seas, rivers and lakes from plastic, to carry out two targeted clean-ups of the lake’s shoreline and access points.

Other sustainability partners, including ASD Varese SUB, a local diving association that is part of the WWF S.U.B. network, and 5R Zero Sprechi, a non-profit promoting sustainability and the circular economy, also joined the official clean-up.

The initiative offers a concrete example of how an international rowing event can leave a positive environmental legacy for the local area and future generations.

From Vision to Visible Impact

Adam Street, Vosse Meijssen, Kevin-Lee Bieshaar, Nicolaas Dirkzwager, Men’s Quadruple Sculls, Netherlands; 2026 European Rowing Championships, Varese, Italy; © World Rowing / Benedict Tufnell

The Championships’ sustainability plan sets out a clear purpose: to promote rowing as a driver of sustainable development and establish Varese 2026 as a benchmark for sustainability within the international rowing community.

Its values — sport, excellence, well-being, respect, collaboration and sustainability — call for decisions that create lasting benefits for the environment, society and the economy.

The clean-ups organised with the sustainability partners put those commitments into action. They use rowing’s community and visibility to inspire positive behaviors around the lake, demonstrate respect for the people, communities and environment that host the event, and bring together clubs, athletes, volunteers and local stakeholders. They also provide a practical way to reduce waste, protect water quality and demonstrate how sustainability can extend beyond the competition dates.

Why This Matters

From World Rowing, to national member, to event organisers and more, the rowing community is invested in cleanup and our environment

Every year, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans, contaminating marine environments and disrupting ecosystems. Microplastics also infiltrate water and soil and can enter the human food chain.

For piùblu, the answer is participation. The organisation works through online initiatives, educational programmes and collective actions to protect marine, lake and river ecosystems.

By collaborating with the organisation, Varese Rowing aims to ensure the clean-ups are not simply a one-off gesture, but part of an ongoing strategy to reduce single-use plastic, improve waste sorting and foster a culture of respect for Lake Varese.

As piùblu puts it: “Good intentions don’t clean the sea. Action does.”

On Lake Varese, that action has already happened.

A Model for Sustainable Rowing Events

2026 European Rowing Championships, Varese, Italy; © Maren Derlien / MyRowingPhoto.com

The clean-ups align with the Championships’ wider ambition to integrate sustainability into event organisation, actively engage stakeholders and create a lasting legacy for the local community and future generations.

They also demonstrate how major sporting events can mobilise local communities around shared environmental goals, partner with specialist organisations to maximise impact and learning, and use sport as a platform to communicate clear messages about plastic, waste and responsible consumption.

For World Rowing, these actions are an important reminder that sustainability is not something that happens separately from our sport. It is part of protecting the places where rowing happens and the communities that make our sport possible.

What Comes Next

Goran Mahmutovic, Roko Boskovic, Damir Martin, Ivan Talaja, Men’s Quadruple Sculls, Croatia; 2026 European Rowing Championships, Varese, Italy; © Detlev Seyb / MyRowingPhoto.com

World Rowing is encouraging athletes, clubs, event organisers and spectators to keep the momentum going by making sustainable choices in their daily lives and at rowing events. That means respecting the environment, sorting waste correctly, reducing single-use plastic and choosing reusable alternatives wherever possible.

The rowing community can also share photos and stories from clean-up activities using #WorldRowingCleanUp and tagging @WorldRowingofficial.

Take action. Clean our waters. Keep rowing. 🌊🚣

#WorldCleanupDay | Take Action. Clean Our Waters. Keep Rowing

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