07 Dec 2011
Development Programme Launches 'Rowing in a Box'
The FISA Development Programme has just sent off the first batch of boats for the ‘Rowing in a Box’ programme to five countries in Latin America. The programme, designed to provide good quality, but inexpensive training equipment to developing rowing federations was initiated last year in a partnership between FISA and Wudi – Flying Eagle Boats of China.
The ‘Box’ is actually a shipping container that has been fitted as a boathouse with three single scull and three coxless pair or double scull boats inside along with oars, sculls and repair equipment.
The boats are loaded into the shipping containers that will serve as boat houses upon arrival
A total of five Rowing in a Box packages were created for Chile, Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador and Dominican Republic. El Salvador will use the boats when it hosts the Central American and Caribbean Games from 23 November to 7 December this year. As well, the Dominican Republic will use their boats when they host the Pan American Games from 1 to 16 August in 2003.
The project to build the boat containers and fit them to work as boat houses upon arrival was managed by Thor Nilsen, FISA Development Director with assistance from Klaus Filter, former Chair of the FISA Materials Commission, and Frank Rogall, a FISA Coaching Consultant. The containers will be delivered to the federations in late May or early June.
The interest in the Rowing in a Box programme has been positive and FISA is looking at another order of boats for the federations who were not able to receive a package from the first shipment. Any national federation interested in more information about the Rowing in a