Latin Americans prepare for Olympic Qualification Regatta in Rio with training camp

The Lagoa Rowing Course is the headquarters of the Brazilian Rowing Federation and it was host to this summer’s 2007 Pan American Games regatta under the gaze of the famous statue of Jesus, the 'Cristo Redentor' atop Corcovado mountain.

The Training Camp is directed by Ricardo Ibarra, FISA Development Director for Latin America, and has been made possible due to the efforts of the teams, the Brazilian Rowing Federation and the Brazilian National Olympic Committee.  Ibarra is being assisted by Osvaldo Borchi who works for the Spanish Rowing Federation and Augusto Grandjean who is one of the head coaches in Chile as well as local coaches from Brazil.

“The logistics in the delivery of the training camp and regatta have required significant organization. In order to ensure that the equipment, accommodation, transport, meals and other needs of the teams were going to be met, the support of all of the partners for this project was critical,’ stated Matt Smith, FISA Executive Director. “And so far, it is going very well.”

“Teams such as Nicaragua and Honduras were hosted for an extended training camp in El Salvador before the event in order to prepare them for the competition.  The support between the countries to assist one another has been something really special and only found in the sport of rowing,” said Thor Nilsen, FISA Development Director.

The training camp will end Thursday with a test regatta for the five female and eleven male crews before the Qualification Event begins on Friday. The women’s single has 11 entries, the men’s single has 15 entries, the lightweight women’s double has eight entries and the lightweight men’s double has 14 entries.  Crews will be battling out in the Sunday A Finals for a top five finish in the women's single, a top six finish in the men's single and a top three finish in the lightweight women's double and lightweight men's double in order to secure a place for the Beijing Olympics.

Please see documents in right-hand side "Related Links" for overall entries.