Team Cup Kicks off FISA's Racing Year

Just when you thought rowing was still in the midst of snow, indoor rowing competitions and long distance races, the FISA Team Cup and the International Regatta of Andalusia are about to get the year rolling.

This weekend over 300 competitors from 23 nations will meet in Seville, Spain on the Guadalquivir River ? the venue of the 2002 World Championships. Races cover a distance of 1000 metres on Saturday and 500 metres on Sunday and feature the likes of Great Britain idols Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell  – this time in a four ? and the best of the Irish, Sam Lynch and Gearoid Towey. Lightweight competitors feature prominently.

British high performance director, David Tanner says the regatta is used as a break from hard winter training. ?The regatta is a ?friendly? event,? says Tanner.

The programme of thirteen race categories was designed to take advantage of the many countries that come to Spain every year to train in winter. ?We decided the program together with Thor Nilsen,? says director, José Antonio Muñoz. ?We looked at the reality of Spanish Rowing and the international crews that come here for training camps.?

Teams from 18 nations are currently training in Spain including rowers from Germany, Tunisia, Hong Kong, Korea and the Czech Republic. 

Points will be scored for the top eight places. Overall team points will accumulate over the two days to determine the FISA Team Cup winner. On both Saturday and Sunday, racing will start at 8.30am with heats, followed by finals in the afternoon.

Results from the weekend will appear on www.deporteandaluz.com