FISA Council selects Plovdiv, Bulgaria for the 2006 FISA World Rowing Championships

The Council of FISA, the International Rowing Federation, has selected the international regatta course in Plovdiv, Bulgaria as its choice to host the 2006 FISA World Rowing Championships. The Council will present its selection to the FISA Annual Congress for final approval on September 14, 2002 in Seville, Spain.

The Council’s decision, in accordance with the streamlined selection procedure adopted in 1997, is based on extensive evaluation of numerous factors such as overall racing conditions, technical installations, logistical aspects, media and television issues, as well as the experience of the Organising Committee.

Other candidates for this event were the British Federation with the soon- to-be-completed Dorney Lake course in Eton and the Polish Federation with the well-known Malta course in Poznan.

“This was a particularly difficult decision given the three excellent bids presented,” said Matt Smith, FISA Executive Director. “The Council went into greater detail than at any time in the past in order to rank Plovdiv above the other two bids.”

Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria with over 500’000 inhabitants, is situated 130 kilometers from the capital city of Sofia. The regatta course was built in 1988 and is situated just next to the Maritza river. It was the venue of the 1999 FISA World Junior Rowing Championships and the 1989 World Canoe Championships.

For additional information visit the Events section of www.worldrowing.com <http://www.worldrowing.com> or contact Kathleen Di Giacomo at FISA headquarters on +41.21.617.83.73 or by e-mail: kathleen.digiacomo@fisa.org