2015 European Rowing Championship regatta returns to Poznan

For immediate release
Lausanne, 20 May 2015 

When the European Rowing Championship regatta was reinstated in 2007 it took place in Poznan, Poland. Rowing has staged European Championships since 1893 and it is one of the longest running sport championships on the international calendar. Now, eight successful years later, Poznan again is host to nearly 600 athletes from 36 European nations entered to race starting 29 May 2015.  

Great Britain is sending the biggest team to Poznan with 52 athletes who will race in all 17 boat classes. The British were the overall winners at the 2014 European Rowing Championships which took place in Belgrade, Serbia. The 2013 overall winners, Germany is sending the next largest team with home-nation Poland the third biggest.

Great Britain took European titles in the men’s four and women’s pair last year and the same pair of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will line up again this month. Glover and Stanning set a new European Best Time in Belgrade and then went on to become World Champions. The British also have high expectations in the men’s eight. The eight are the current World Champions and they will be hoping to improve on their 2014 European bronze medal.

The German squad of 49 athletes include many of the crews that were successful at the World Rowing Cup in Bled, Slovenia earlier this month. The men’s double sculls combination of Marcel Hacker and Stephan Krueger won at the World Cup and in Poznan they will face tough competition when they race against World Champions, Valent and Martin Sinkovic of Croatia.

The Czech Republic, which finished second on the European medals table in 2014, has entered in 13 boat classes. The talented Olympic medallists and European Champions Ondrej Synek in the men’s single sculls and Mirka Knapkova in the women’s single sculls will be the flagship rowers for their country.  

Poland is showing growing ability in their women’s squad, led by women’s double sculls representatives Magdalena Fularczyk and Natalia Madaj. The Polish men’s eight is also riding a wave of success after finishing third at the 2014 World Rowing Championships and second at the World Rowing Cup earlier this month in Bled.

Racing will take place on Lake Malta in the heart of Poznan. This is a prime international regatta course which regularly hosts international rowing and canoeing events.

The European Rowing Championship regatta was reinstated in 2007 and is open to the 43 European national rowing federations, including Israel. There are 17 boat classes (14 Olympic events plus three International events).

The 2015 European Rowing Championships goes from 29- 31 May 2015 with finals starting at 10:33 (CET) on 31 May. Full entries and provisional timetable can be found at www.worldrowing.com. Race reports, live results, live blogging, live race tracker and a photo gallery will be available on www.worldrowing.com throughout the regatta.