FISA Announces 2003 Award Winners

FISA, the International Rowing Federation, has announced the recipients of the 2003 FISA Awards.

The award for FISA 2003 Male Rower or Crew of the Year will be presented to 2003 World Champion men’s pair of James Tomkins and Drew Ginn of Australia. Tomkins is a three time Olympic Games medallist and seven time World Championships gold medallist. Ginn won an Olympic gold medal with Tomkins in the men’s four in Atlanta in 1996 and has also won five World Championships medals.

New Zealand sisters Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell who sculled to a second consecutive World Championships title in 2003 in the women’s double will be awarded the 2003 FISA Female Rower or Crew of the Year Award.

Canadian men’s coach Mike Spracklen of Great Britian will be presented with the 2003 FISA Coach of the Year award for the second year in a row.  Since 1975 Spracklen has coached rowers to more than 30 medals at the World level including the Canadian men’s eight to a gold at the 1992 Olympics, Silken Laumann’s to a 1992 Olympic bronze and 1996 Olympic silver, and the British women’s quad to a silver at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Most recently, he led the Canadian men’s four to a World Championships gold and the Canadian men’s eight to its second consecutive World Championships victory.

The 2003 FISA Distinguished Service to Rowing Medal will be awarded to Norwegian Thor Nilsen. Currently FISA’s Development Director, Nilsen is also honorary chairman of the Competitive Rowing Commission and has served both on FISA’s Council and Executive Board. Nilsen was also president of the Swedish Rowing Federation from 1947 to 1997. A world renowned rowing coach, Nilsen has developed national training centres in several countries and has also served as national rowing coach in Norway and Sweden as well as technical Director and head coach for Spain and Italy. His coaching results include over 30 World Championships gold medals and 8 Olympic gold medals.

The medals will be presented to the recipients at the annual FISA Coaches Conference which takes place in Athens, Greece from November xx to xx.