Four week countdown to World Rowing Championships

On 28 August 2011, the heats for the lightweight men’s single sculls will signal the start of racing on Lake Bled as rowers work throughout the week to become World Champions. In the Olympic events they will also be working towards qualifying their boat for next year’s Olympic Games. This regatta doubles as the first, and biggest, Olympic Qualification Regatta for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

For host nation Slovenia, this is the biggest sporting event of the year. More than 60 countries have already confirmed their participation in the championships and this year’s teams will include adaptive rowing crews who will have the added challenge of trying to qualify for next year’s Paralympic Games in London.

This year, like 2010, the finals will be spread over four days beginning on 1 September with the adaptive intellectually disabled mixed four. A highlight will undoubtedly be the blue riband men’s eight event on the same day. The men’s eight is expected to be a clash between the unbeaten World Champion German eight and the feisty British with the Netherlands, the United States and Canada waiting to cut in on the German-British battle.

The greatest Slovenian trump cards for winning a medal at this regatta is Iztok ?op and Luka Špik who return to the men’s double sculls. They will hope to be competing in the finals on Friday, 2 September. Both Cop and Spik are on the World Rowing top 10 list of best (active) rowers in 2010 and Cop is Slovenia’s most accomplished Olympic athlete.

Tickets to see the competition is only required for the finals, thus from 1 – 4 September, while admission is free between 28 and 31 August. Likewise, there is free admission to the opening ceremony, which will be held on 27August at 20:00 (CET) in Velika Zaka.

Lately the tourist destination of Bled has become even livelier due to these World Rowing Championships. Between 22 and 24 July the ‘Bled Days’ took place. Visitors were able to try out rowing under the Package of Rowing Pleasures or purchase ‘cheering supplies’ in order to cheer for Slovenia’s best rowers.

It's time for Bled.