World Rowing Development Programme - looking back on 2024

The World Rowing Development team was hard at work in 2024, reaching member federations and athletes from every part of the globe, as well as pushing growth in every discipline of Rowing – Classic, Coastal/Beach Sprint, and Indoor. Here are a selection of the projects from 2024:

Africa

Classic:

Development of National Sport System (DNSS) – Nigeria

A two-year DNSS program, supported by Olympic Solidarity, World Rowing, and the Nigerian Olympic Committee, is driving the growth of rowing in Nigeria. This initiative successfully completed a World Rowing Level 1 Technical Course for Coaches and National Technical Official course.

Coastal/Beach Sprint:

Technical Coaches Course (TCC) Level 1 – Malawi

Malawi hosted a World Rowing Level 1TCC, supported by Olympic Solidarity and the Malawi Olympic Committee. The Coastal Race Module enhanced the skills of both seasoned and new coaches, building on the progress made from a TCC held in 2019.

Americas

Classic:

WR Dev Training Camp at 2024 WR Americas Continental Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The World Rowing Development Programme supported a crucial pre-event training camp for athletes and coaches from participating Member Federations at the Qualification Regatta, providing both logistical and technical support.

Oceania

Coastal/Beach Sprint:

Oceania Youth Athlete Development Training Camp & 2024 Oceania Youth Beach Sprints Championships, Sydney, Australia

The Oceania Youth Athletes Development training camp in Sydney, Australia, introduced participants to the exciting Beach Sprint discipline, with support from Olympic Solidarity and endorsement from the Australian Olympic Committee. Young athletes also raced on water for the first time during the inaugural Oceania Youth Development Beach Sprints Championships, in preparation for the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar.

TCC Level 1, CRM & Technical Delegate Course, New Zealand

TCC Level 1, CRM, and Technical Delegate courses were held in Auckland, New Zealand, benefiting coaches from four Oceania Rowing Federations: New Zealand, American Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu. This event was made possible with the support of Olympic Solidarity, the New Zealand National Olympic Committee, and Rowing New Zealand.

Europe

Coastal/Beach Sprint:

European Continental Coastal Race Module (CRM) – Gdansk, Poland

A CRM was successfully held in Gdańsk, Poland, at the venue for the 2024 European Rowing Coastal and Beach Sprint Championships. With support from the Organising Committee and WR Coach Educators, the programme introduced European coaches to Coastal Rowing and Beach Sprint skills and techniques.

Para Rowing:

Para Rowing Continental Coaches Development Workshop, Szeged, Hungary

World Rowing Development hosted a Para Rowing Workshop in Szeged, Hungary, ahead of the 2024 European Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta. The workshop equipped European coaches and classifiers with the skills to launch Para Rowing programmes, create recruitment plans, and set development goals for the 2028 Paralympic Games.

Asia

Classic, Coastal & Para:

World Rowing Asia Coach Educators Regional Course, Hong Kong

World Rowing, with support from the Hong Kong Rowing Association, hosted a ground-breaking Coach Educators’ course in Hong Kong, training coaches across Asia. The course covered the WR Level 1 syllabus, including Classic, Coastal, and Para Rowing, and focused on enhancing facilitation skills, presentation techniques, and effective teaching methods.

Para Rowing:

Para Rowing Coach Educators Course, Olympic and Paralympic Training Camp & Classification Workshop, South Korea

For the first time in Asia, a Para Rowing Coach Educators Course, Olympic and Paralympic Training Camp, and Classification Workshop were held with support from the Korean Para Rowing Association, alongside the Asian and Oceanian Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta. The classification workshop aimed to upskill national classifiers in identifying and classifying Para Rowing athletes, while the Coach Educator course focused on cascading the World Rowing Level 1 Para Rowing Development Coaching Course in multiple languages, tailored to the region’s needs.