Bringing Iraqi rowing to Boston

A trip by two American rowing enthusiasts to meet Iraqi rowers, in Iraq has opened the doors in bringing them to the United States for further training.

The crew of eight Iraqi’s, including Beijing Olympians Haidar Nozad and Hussein Jebar, has been invited to Boston to train as they prepare for the 2010 Asian Games to be held in China this November.

The trip has been organised by US national team coach and executive director of Boston’s biggest rowing club, Community Rowing Inc., Bruce Smith and former rower and coach Bill Engeman. It comes after Smith and Engeman travelled to Iraq earlier this year to spend time with the Iraqi Rowing Federation.

The idea originated with Bill Engeman. “He coached a lot of kids that went on to serve in the US military so he got interested in building military ties with rowing,” says Smith. “He then saw a piece of news about rowers training on the Tigris River in Baghdad and thought he’d do something about meeting up with them.” Engeman looked at going to Iraq. “It was a crazy idea,” says Smith. “And he’s 71 years old!”

Engeman asked Smith to come with him as a coach. “It took a long time to get to there (Lake Dokan where the Iraqi team was training),” says Smith. “We had to go through a huge, huge number of security points.”

Smith said he never felt under threat when he was in Iraq as there are soldiers everywhere. “I felt fine while I was there,” says Smith, “But it wasn’t until I got back to Boston that I realised something felt different, I was relaxing again.”

To bring the Iraqi rowers to the United States was a lengthy process, but Smith says the support from the IOC (International Olympic Committee), FISA and the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) helped to get visas approved.

Smith says the reaction in Boston when people meet the Iraqi rowers has been very positive and great for rowing as the amount of news coverage they’ve received has been phenomenal. “They’re picked out immediately,” says Smith, “and people get visibly excited. Last year my crew got silver at the World Rowing Champs and I got nothing like the reception the Iraqi’s are getting.”

The Iraqi team ranges in age from 19 to 34 years old with Nozad and Jebar the most experienced members. The team are from different parts of Iraq including Baghdad and they are mainly university students. Smith says their motivation to want to row and compete comes from their love of the sport and a desire to represent Iraq.

“They’re wildly enthusiastic about rowing,” says Smith. “It makes them fun to work with as they’re so eager to learn.”

The World Rowing team values feedback.