Bishop and the 2012 Bid

Bishop & Stojic
© Vojin Jovanovic

When it comes to hosting the 2012 Olympic Games Paris, London and New York have come out as the frontrunners and Olympic rowers from these three nations have been getting behind their home country’s bid.

FISA council member and Sydney Olympic gold medalist for France Jean-Christophe Rolland is publicly supporting the Paris 2012 bid. Rolland has been joined by France’s golden double of Adrien Hardy and Sebastien Vieilledent who finished first at Athens. French rowing federation’s spokesperson Sylvie Matthews adds that all French athletes are behind the Paris bid.

Across the water in New York City, 161 rowing Olympians are supporting NYC 2012. They include Ted Nash who, on top of his two Olympic medals, has been to seven Olympics as a coach. Two-time Olympian Tom Auth is a member of the Circle of Olympian board. The Circle is designed to give the athletes a prominent voice in the New York City bid and includes 1,700 Olympians and Paralympians. 

Over to London Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent are both ambassadors for the British bid while all of Great Britain’s rowing medalists from Athens have been public in their support of London 2012. The prominence of rowers is evident when you go to the supporters’ website and the main picture is of Great Britain’s gold medal men’s four from Athens.

Cath Bishop & Philip Zepter
© Serbia & Montenegro Olympic Committee

Great Britain also has Cath Bishop, the women’s pair silver medallist from Athens. Bishop recently visited the Serbia & Montenegrin capital of Belgrade to promote London’s Olympic bid. The three-time Olympian ended up impressing her audience in more ways than one.

Standing in front of Serbia & Montenegro’s Olympic Committee and numerous journalists Bishop spoke in fluent Serbian. There was surprised silence.

Last year, in the lead-up to Athens, while most athletes were relaxing and preparing for their next training session, Bishop was poring over the books. “Between training sessions I studied verbs and cases in Serbian language,” admits Bishop.

Bishop was preparing for her post-Athens posting to the British Embassy in Bosnia & Herzegovina’s capital city of Sarajevo. She is now based in Sarajevo working on political reconstruction and projects to help get the country back on its feet.

This, however, is barely scraping the barrel when it comes to Bishop’s talents. With a degree in modern languages from Cambridge University, an MPhil in international politics and a PhD in German literature, Bishop’s three Olympic Games appearances are just one part of a long list of accomplishments.

Bishop, who began rowing at university in 1991, already had her PhD when she rowed at Sydney. Taking a break from the sport for the first time in 2002, Bishop looked to her future career. “I didn’t feel fresh any more and I had lost some of the passion,” says Bishop.

She took up a position with Great Britain’s diplomatic services but then decided she had more to complete in rowing. So in 2003 Bishop took leave from her job to train full-time for Athens. “It was a wonderful break,” Bishop says in retrospect. “It enhanced my self-belief when I returned in 2003 to rowing and became World Champion, as well as setting up my future as a diplomat after Athens.”

Bishop & Stojic on Sava Lake
© Vojin Jovanovic

Since Athens Bishop has not set foot in a boat but Belgrade’s Sava Lake was too tempting for her. Fellow Olympian Nikola Stojic of Serbia & Montenegro met with Bishop along with other members of his country’s national team and Stojic remarked on how keen Bishop was to go rowing.

Both Stojic and Bishop are specialists in the pair and together they paddled over the Sava Lake regatta course. “She was very impatient to sit in the boat after more then eight months,” commented Stojic who now races in the single for Serbia & Montenegro. “It was a great pleasure and interesting experience for me to row with Cath.”

After Athens Bishop says there was a lot of pressure for her to continue rowing. “But I said that I’d done enough for now. Maybe in the future.”

Interview thanks to Belgrade journalist, Vojin Jovanovic.

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