time, I take a lot of confidence in the fact
that he hasn’t got it wrong for the Olympics,”
said Reed.
Champion MaheDrysdale and Olympic
Champion RobWaddell, the New Zealand
selections were one of the most followed
rowing has ever seen.
manner. It had the input of athletes, former
athletes, and members of the rowing
community.”
Some of the big rowing nations like the
United States, Australia and Canada, will not
announce their Olympic team until after the
Rowing World Cup season.
Mahe Drysdale (l) in racing
against Rob Waddell (r) in
the last of three races during
the rowing trials held on Lake
Karapiro 5 March 2008 in
Cambridge, New Zealand.
In contrast, New Zealand announced their
Beijing-bound rowing team early March.
This does not mean kiwi rowers did not feel
the pressure. With back-to-back
National Championships and
Olympic trials, and a best of
three in the men’s single
confronting three-time World
Fairness is important in the eyes of the
athletes, so much so that arbitration was
required when lightweights from the
United States contested US Rowing’s big
boat selection process which is done
through training camps (small boats go
through National Selection Regattas).
The panel declined to alter the
policy decision, stating that the
National Federation had
“developed its procedures in
a thoughtful and analytical
Olympic Games host nation China began its
selection with a spring regatta on April 1 that
included 8-kilometre and 2-kilometre trials in
small boats, plus a 2-kilometre erg test. Like
the majority of countries, China will first
announce teams for the Rowing World Cup
series and wait to see the outcome of the Final
Olympic Qualification Regatta in Poznan,
Poland (June 15-18). However, head
coach IgorGrinko expects little
change from crews competing at
last year’s World Rowing
Championships. ■ L. L.
