20 years leading with attitude
Denis Oswald is sitting in his temporary office overlooking a rowing course. It is a familiar
scene for FISA’s president, now in his 20th year in the role. The location regularly changes,
the size of the office is always different, but Oswald still sees many of the same faces and
enjoys the same feelings that go with being part of the rowing world.
Oswald once figured out how much of the year
he spends away from home – the majority of it
rowing related – and it added up to more than
120 days.
I went to coaching clinics, and I discussed a lot
with coaches,” says Oswald. “We made 8mm films
that we watched and sent to coaches in order to
get their comments.”
Rowing has been in Oswald’s life for 49 of his
62 years. He took up the sport thinking it would
be good preparation for ice hockey. Although
Oswald continued to play ice hockey for the
rest of his rowing career, he made rowing his
focus and eight years after taking it up he had an
Olympic medal.
In 1968 another pair was selected for the Mexico
City Olympics, but the Swiss Federation saw
promise in Oswald’s pair. Oswald was chosen to
stroke the country’s coxed four. “I was used to
rating 39 all the way and the federation thought
the higher stroke rate would help the four.” After
three months together the crew won the bronze.
“From the beginning I felt that I wanted to achieve
the best possible result,” says Oswald. Three years
before the 1968 Mexico Olympics, Oswald and
his partner in the pair decided to do what they
could to make the Swiss Olympic rowing team.
Oswald went on to compete in two more Olympic
Games. The bronze from ‘68 turned out to be his
only medal success and, even with two Olympic
top eight finishes in ‘72 and ‘76, Oswald felt the
disappointment of not progressing after initial
success. “But that’s how it is in sport,” he says.
“My partner and I were both studying law,” says
Oswald, “so we adjusted our studies to train twice
a day.” Despite having no coach, the pair started to
achieve good results. “I read books on coaching,
During his rowing career Oswald was aware that
his life was di;erent from his friends’. “I had no
time to go to the movies and parties, but that >
