University Championships create double excellency at Gravelines

In a small beach-side town surrounded by agriculture, an industrial sector and a nuclear power plant, very few saw that Decriem’s vision could turning to reality. But in 2008, he proved them all wrong. Buying the land, drawing the plans, fighting the construction of an auto route, a natural gas line and a factory, Decriem finally realised the construction of a rowing course.

The rowing course has now been introduced to international competition with the sclection by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) choosing Gravelines for the  2014 World University Rowing Championships.

“The French University Sports Federation is one of our strongest members,” says FISU Executive Assistant for the World University Championships, Julien Buhajezuk. “There was a big emphasis on the fact that the course was new. The idea for them was to legitimize the fact they had built a course and to gain some international recognition. They wanted to show they could host an international competition,” 

The thirteenth edition of the World University Rowing Championships is now underway and Buhajezuk calls it one of the most successful championships ever with a record 33 participating countries.

FISU was officially founded in 1949 with the first International University Sport Week in Merano, Italy. Rowing was first included on the FISU programme in 1984.  “Rowing is definitely one of our strongest sports, mostly because it is a very student-oriented sport, it is practised primarily in universities,” says Buhajezuk.  

FISU organises championship events in nearly 40 different sports with the aim to promote university sport around the world.  “The structural aim of FISU is to organise all world competition for student sport. But the idea is also not just to do elite sport, but to have a way that enables athletes who may not have the opportunity to go to a world championship in their sport to compete as a student. We are emphasising the fact that you have a ‘double excellency,’ not only that you are an athlete, but also that you are going to university and you have to combine both,” says Buhajezuk.

The combination of studying and rowing is not uncommon and many rowers speak about the balance it takes to do both. Mexican single sculler Juan Carlos Cabrera says, “It is difficult, it takes a lot of work, but it is possible.”

Despite the challenge, many rowers find that each activity gives them a break from the other. “I don’t find it too difficult,” says single sculler from Finland, Eeva Karppinen. “I really like to study, I enjoy school so I think it is more fun for me.”

The 350 rowers participating in Gravelines, plus thousands more around the world have found a way to balance their sport and their studies. Today, with the start of the B and A-finals, the athletes competing at Gravelines will strive for one half of their double excellency. Tomorrow, they will return to university to excel in the other.