The future of international rowing began to take shape in Amsterdam, where the World Rowing community gathered for the 2026 Ordinary World Rowing Congress, just days after the World Rowing Championships held at Bosbaan. The meeting brought together representatives of the Member Federations to address some of the decisions that will shape the sport’s development in the coming years, from governance and athlete representation to the organization of major international competitions and preparations for the next Olympic cycles.
The meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress made during the 2026 World Rowing Championships, particularly in areas related to the experience of athletes and spectators, while also opening discussions on how rowing should develop in an ever-changing sporting environment. In this context, the Congress addressed preparations for Dakar 2026, the Lucerne 2027 World Rowing Championships, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032, alongside a broader review of the international calendar, ranking systems and the conditions needed for competitions to continue growing.
A new era for governance and the athlete voice
One of the Congress’s main focuses was the leadership structure of World Rowing and the incorporation of new voices into its decision-making bodies. The President of World Rowing, Jean-Christophe Rolland, presented a report reviewing the organization’s work in sport, governance and the Olympic Movement, as well as its strategy regarding the future of the Olympic programme. At the same time, delegates re-elected the presidents of five commissions for a new four-year term: Henk-Jan Zwolle, Eva Szanto, Ronald Chen, Rebecca Thomas Orr and Angela Alonso Fernández.
Athlete representation also took on a central role. Benjamin Pritchard, Valent Sinkovic, Logan Ullrich and Martin Mackovic were elected by their fellow athletes to join the World Rowing Athletes’ Commission, bringing experience spanning World Championships, Olympic Games and para rowing. The election comes as the organization works to define new competitive and regulatory structures, including the implementation of the IOC policy on protecting the female category of athletes, with the relevant regulatory changes expected to be introduced in 2027. In addition, the election of the coastal rowing representative will take place during the discipline’s world competitions in Qingdao, China.
New venues and an in-depth review of the international calendar
The Congress also made progress in shaping the calendar that will accompany rowing over the coming years. Plovdiv, Bulgaria, will jointly host the 2027 World Rowing Under-19 and Under-23 Championships, while Racice, Czech Republic, will host a Rowing World Cup event that same year and, in 2028, will stage the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta and Rowing World Cup II. The allocation of the 2029 World Rowing Masters Regatta to Asunción, Paraguay, will also expand the presence of major international events in South America.
At the same time, World Rowing is reviewing the structure of its competitions to build a more connected and predictable calendar. The Strategic Events and Calendar Review aims to strengthen the links between international regattas, continental championships, World Cups and World Championships, while maintaining essential elements such as 2,000-metre races over six lanes. As part of this process, the event allocation mechanisms are also being reviewed in response to rising costs, challenges in accessing public funding and geopolitical uncertainty. This work is complemented by the development of a first global ranking system, currently in its testing phase, and the launch of the World Rowing Beach Sprints Rowing Series, with its first events scheduled to take place in Türkiye and China during 2027 and 2028.
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