those athletes in Finals at the World Rowing
Championships and at the Olympic Games.
Group Two is our challenge, with limited or no
infrastructure, poor quality of equipment, no
rowing tradition and sometimes no training
tradition. The number of active rowers can be
only a handful and talent identification is just
a word without reality. In some parts of the
world nutrition is also an issue and limits the
possibility for proper training.
The rest of the participants ended up in
Finals C to E and showed good racing and
a fighting spirit when they competed with
crews on their own level.
The main question is: have the developing
countries showed any progress in the last
12 years? If we look at the result lists, the
situation has not changed a lot, but if we look
at the technical level, the progress has been
massive.
36
Again we have a strong cooperation with
Olympic Solidarity for national, regional and
continental courses and training camps. Boat
donations are a strong tool, and slowly the
infrastructure starts to develop. Our group
of development coaches focus on three
points; rowing technique, rigging and training
methodology. We also try to identify talents for
a more specific program, but this is not always
supported by the National Federations due to
local political problems or other priorities.
During the Olympics I received many positive
comments about the technical level of our
developing crews from international coaches
following the races on their bikes. The crews
know how to row, even if the physical
performance is still behind international top
level. There is much reason for this: a limited
number of athletes to choose from, many are
missing a basic training background, they are
really amateurs who combine studies or work
with training, and they are missing international
experience. Such a platform doesn’t give self-confidence but the experience they bring with
them back home will give a positive stimulus
for future progress.
In Beijing, Iran saw its rowers
compete for the first time ever
at the Olympic Games. Female
rower Homa Hosseini was her
country’s flagbearer at the
Opening Ceremony of the 2008
Olympic Games.
At the Beijing Olympics, 21 of the participating countries were recognised as “developing
countries” and received assistance in one or
another form. Only Cuba reached the A Final
with one crew and two crews in the B Final,
but we must take into consideration that
Cuba has a long tradition in rowing, a good
national structure, but are fighting with
financial limitations.
So we are moving in the right direction
with good technical progress and better
understanding of physical requirements.
Remember that on the day they begin to
win medals they are no longer a developing
country! ■ Thor S. Nilsen, FISA Development Director
