Monster masters regatta a success in Bled

In the inaugural year for the World Rowing Masters Club Trophy, Dynamo Moscow Club from Russia earned the most points on the men’s side. They dominated over other clubs finishing with over 1000 points. The competition was much closer on the women’s side with Upper Thames Rowing Club from Great Britain narrowly becoming the winners. The trophy was awarded to the club that earned the most points in their respective categories. For more information, click here.

The club trophy was introduced to encourage more clubs to enter their teams. “Rowing clubs are imperative to building the sport in each country. We want to recognise the clubs that are building their masters programmes and bringing their athletes to compete at the World Rowing Masters Regatta,” says FISA Masters Commission Chair Tone Pahle.

In order to accommodate the 4,700 athletes and more than 900 races, the racing began on Wednesday, 6 September. Racing then took place from dawn until dusk for three days. The final day of the regatta was reserved for mixed event entries which allowed some crews to enter at the last minute. Competitors had until Friday evening at 18:00 to enter their mixed crews. More than 700 boats entered, which added another 105 races to the programme. These events provide an opportunity for friends from different clubs around the world to join together and race in one final event.

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Other highlights from the week included a reception at the Bled Castle, at which the octogenarians (rowers who have actively competed over the age of 80) were awarded with a medal and a pin. “It is inspiring to see that this group continues to grow and that many of them add more and more pins each year,” says FISA Masters Commission member Sebastian Franke.

The small town of Bled managed the huge numbers of athletes and supporters seamlessly with the FISA masters commission acknowledging the work of the organising committee. This included the coordination of 200 boats that were supplied by Filippi and many more that were sourced from clubs throughout Europe. The number of entries meant that each boat made several trips on the water each day. Athletes were housed in the surrounding area in hotels, hostels and camp sites. Transport buses ran every 15 minutes for 14 hours per day to make sure that all competitors reached their races on time.

Bled has hosted many events included the World Rowing Championships in 1966, 1979, 1989 and 2011. More recently it hosted a World Rowing Cup in 2014.

For more information including results click here.