Argentina moves ahead with adaptive rowing

A new school for adaptive rowers has started up in the town of Tigre, just north of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Tigre is an island town that is surrounded by small streams and rivers, so rowing makes perfect practical sense as a sport and the arrival of an adaptive rowing school at the Centro Naval Del Tigre  means that the area is now able to offer a new alternative recreation for people with physical disabilities.

Using recreational coxed singles and doubles, adaptive rowers have the opportunity to learn how to scull. The idea came from rowing coach Sebastian Tula and Lisbeth Nieto. “We wanted an adaptive school that would be free for the entire community,” says Tula. 

The idea is to offer rowing as an alternative sport of athletes with disabilities. “This project fills a void in terms of adaptive water sports for the Greater Buenos Aires area,” says Tula.

Tula says at this stage he is hoping to build interest and get people used to rowing but he his hoping in the future to have an adaptive team preparing for the Paralympic Games. So far there are 20 rowers involved in the programme and Tula says that six of them will start preparing for racing.

For more information go to: www.sculls.com.ar