The birth of Plovdiv Regatta Course

Svetla Otzetova is an architect by profession and a former Olympic Champion rower. Winning gold in the women’s double sculls in Montreal in 1976. Otzetova also enjoyed success at the World Rowing Championships winning gold on Lake Karapiro in 1978 as well as two silver and one bronze medals at other World Rowing Championships.  She therefore combines all the assets to define what is needed to create or renovate a rowing course and, as a Bulgarian, the Plovdiv rowing course is close to her heart. World Rowing spoke with Otzetova at the 2011 European Rowing Championships.

World Rowing: What is the his

tory of the Plovdiv rowing course?
Svetla Otzetova: Before 1988, the rowing course was only 1000m long.  At that time, the main rowing course for Bulgarian regattas was in Sofia, Pantcharevo, which was used in 1981 for the World Rowing Junior Championships.   When Plovdiv was awarded the World Canoeing Championships in 1989, the authorities accepted to rebuild the venue and make it 2000m long so as to also accommodate rowing events. Nowadays, all national regattas take place here.

We started working on the project in 1983 and I was pregnant with my first daughter.  You could say that I had two babies in the same year, the rowing course and Rossy; this is why I remember the dates so easily.  And it was not easy – it was very difficult to make the authorities understand we wanted to create a course closer to nature and not simply copy existing rowing courses like Munich or Montreal. For me, this is the spirit of rowing; we practice our sport with nature and facilities should reflect this.

WR: What are the main characteristics of the Plovdiv rowing course?
SO: One very obvious one is the water level, which is only 20cm below the road, and building on the natural aspect of the rowing course, it is surrounded by a forest.  This also has another advantage; it creates very fair conditions. I cannot remember having to move lanes. Either it is rowable or not, but usually it is very calm. 

Also all facilities are under the boathouse, which makes it quite unique as usually service rooms are on the top. It was the best way to use the shape of the ground without disturbing the natural aesthetics.  It also makes the whole venue very bright; there are lots of windows, giving a view without any obstacles to the views of the nature and rowing course.

It is very close to the city and the most popular place in Plovdiv. It is usually packed with people, even yesterday it was hard to get to the start, who come to jog, walk, or be with their families and there are very nice restaurants. It makes it a pleasant place and not only for rowing but also to enjoy the park and the water.  It also brings more people to rowing. The strongest Bulgarian rowers come from Plovdiv, and the city has the highest number of clubs.

Another interesting feature of the Plovdiv rowing course is the way weed is treated.  Weed was an issue at the Beijing Olympics,and is a problem in Eton.  Here in the past there was also a lot of it and we were advised to use a special type of fish – you can see them in water, they are quite big – who eat it.

WR: That water level is quite a unique experience both for rowers and spectators, isn’t it?
SO: It is indeed a very special feeling. You can see everything and don’t feel like you are in a tunnel, and it also gives a different feeling to spectators. The distance between the first row of spectators and the first lane is about 10-12m, which is very close. This makes it very different from other courses.

We would like to attract more international events; these European championships will make the venue known to international rowing and change the way people see the rowing course and the organisation. When Plovdiv was first bidding, it was not seen as a reliable venue but with this event, the Plovdiv organising committee will prove they can make it happen.