FISA Award goes behind the scenes with Sweeney

Mike Sweeney
© Peter Spurrier

This year the FISA Distinguished Service to Rowing Award has gone to Great Britain's Mike Sweeney. This award honours Sweeney's services to international rowing, but ironically this dedication has actually limited his opportunity to watch the events he has helped organise.

Ask Sweeney how many races he has viewed in his 14 years as FISA's Chairman of the Events Commission and the list is remarkably short.

"At many Rowing World Cups and World Rowing Championships the work of the Events Commission is behind the scenes and often very few races are ever seen," says Sweeney. "There are always issues: the results, their distribution, the finish tower, timing?Then once you have got through the first day or two of racing you are then working with next year's organising committee, showing them the good and bad things."

So the man behind the scenes instead measures his involvement in rowing by the number of team manager meetings that he has attended. Sweeney can count over 200 meetings that he has fronted and any national team manager will admit to being intimately acquainted with his British manner and accent.

Sweeney's involvement in rowing began when he took up the sport as high school student. This continued on to Cambridge University where he competed twice for his college in the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. Sweeney then remained as a competitor and represented Great Britain in 1967 and 1970. After his retirement from competition Sweeney managed the British team from 1974 until 1984. During this time he became well acquainted with FISA and the workings of the international rowing scene.

His connection with FISA dates back to 1987 when he joined the FISA fold as a member of the Regattas and Technical Installations Commission. This came after the then President of FISA Thomas Keller recognised Sweeney's talents which contributed to the very successful 1986 World Rowing Championships in Nottingham, England.

Three years later Sweeney was elected Chairman of the Events Commission – the role he played for the next 14 years. During that time Sweeney added a number of additional roles including Executive Committee and Council member as well as continuing as Chairman of the Events Commission.

Sweeney estimates that during this time he was travelling for FISA about 50 days a year. "Fortunately, in 1995 I was able to change jobs," he says. "I joined a computer company owned by my ski and golfing partner and my contract allowed for a very large number of holiday days per year!"

When Sweeney looks back to changes in the sport he counts professionalism as the major transformation to international rowing over the years. "I have seen dramatic changes in the size, scale and professionalism of the sport," says Sweeney who describes his early days with FISA as involving no Rowing World Cup series and a comparatively small World Rowing Championships.

"The presentation of our sport, the facilities and services for the teams, the professionalism of all our operations – we are now one of the best organisers of events amongst all the Olympic summer sports," says Sweeney. "We are held in high regard by the IOC (International Olympic Committee)."

However, Sweeney admits there is still room for improvement. He cites the spectator side as still unsuccessful. "We don't look after them well enough," says Sweeney. "It will take the organising committees to realise how important they are."

Sweeney decided to "go out on top" resigning from his FISA roles at the Athens Olympics in August. "This was the end of the four-year Olympic cycle," says Sweeney. "I believe that for the Events Commission it is much better for the new Chairman to be in position for the start of the next four-year cycle."

This brings to an end four Olympic cycles that Sweeney has been involved in with FISA. "I enjoyed the Sydney Olympics the most," says Sweeney who looks at the event from an organisation perspective. "It was a combination of the Games themselves but also the excellent working relationship that FISA had with all levels of the Sydney Organising Committee in the seven year build-up beforehand."

The rowing focus in Sweeney's life will remain as he continues in the position of Chairman of the Royal Henley Regatta. Sweeney has also promised to show his face at some international rowing events although he will be the one now watching races rather than staying behind the scenes.

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