PRESS RELEASE: FISA World Rowing Championships

A total of 61 Sydney Olympic rowing medallists including 25 gold medallists are to race in the 2001 FISA World Rowing Championships that takes place on the scenic Lake Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland from 19th to 26th August.

A total of 946 rowers representing 49 nations will compete in the 24 boat classes that make up the Championships. The entries also include all fourteen 2001 World Cup champions entered in their respective boat classes looking to confirm their successful seasons by earning the title of world champion. The full list of entries by nation in each boat class is attached.

Racing starts on Sunday 19th August at 13:30 hrs with additional preliminary rounds Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Semi-finals will be held on 23rd and 24th August and the finals will take place Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 25th and 26th August from 13:30 to 16:15 hrs.

The Swiss television station SRG will serve as host broadcaster for the Championships, following the races with 16 cameras and providing international signal of all semi-finals and finals. The pan-European television station, Eurosport, will air racing during semi-finals and finals as will other television stations such as BBC in Great Britain, ZDF in Germany, RAI in Italy, TVS in Slovenia, TV2 in Denmark, TVE in Spain and FR2/3 in France.

The Championship week starts with the 108th FISA Ordinary Congress on Saturday 18th August. Approximately 100 delegates from 50 member federations are expected to attend. The topics for voting include the site selection for the 2005 World Rowing Championships.

Visit the official website of the 2001 FISA World Rowing Championships: www.worldrowing.com for live scoring during racing (updated every 500 metres), daily race reviews, interviews, press releases, start lists and full results.

The presenting sponsor for the 2001 FISA World Rowing Championships is Zurich Financial Services group, a Swiss-based global financial services company.

For more information contact Kathleen Di Giacomo, Communications Manager at FISA Headquarters Tel: +41.21.617.83.73, Fax: +41.21.617.83.75
E-mail: info@fisa.org