28th National Rowing Championships from 4 April

By David Ebert

The National Rowing Championship, the only annual rowing event conducted at the national level, will take place from 4 to 6 April at the newly developed rowing centre on the Diyawanna Lake and will be sponsored by Bharti Airtel.

Organised by the Amateur Rowing Association of Sri Lanka, the three-day regatta will see 300 participants representing schools, universities, social clubs, rowing clubs and the defence establishments competing for recognition.

The Diyawanna Lake will boast an international standard, multi-lane rowing course, where the one thousand expected spectators can enjoy viewing access from both the banks that line the entire two kilometre course.

Speaking at the launch press conference hosted at the National Olympic Committee headquarters auditorium, ARASL President Rohan Fernando spoke of the association’s plans for expanding the popularity of the sport in the near future: “Through this year’s championship, we intend to take the sport of rowing to the next level in Sri Lanka. It is with great pleasure that we are introducing a ‘rowing eight’ or an eight-member rowing boat for the first time in the country. Our vision is to make this sport the finest in the country, by generating interest and provide access for everyone to participate either as a hobby or at championship level.”

“We are much focused on achieving international level acclaim and this year, we will strive to better our national timings so that we can earmark potential rowing talent to represent Sri Lanka at any upcoming global events. Furthermore, we look forward to hosting a number of exciting regional and international regattas at the new Diyawanna Rowing Centre in the coming year,” Fernando said.

Fernando also stated that the ARASL has already put in place an ambitious plan to establish a National Rowing Academy on the Diyawanna, which would train existing rowers and help popularise the sport across all age groups with international coaches available and training programs conducted with the view of increased regional rankings in mind.

The academy would also provide assistance to disabled war veterans using rowing-based rehabilitation programs, leading to possible participation at international level paralympics rowing events. Fernando stated that the association has already had the required land earmarked for the Rs. 30 million project by the Urban Development Authority and looks forward to beginning the project by the end of the year.

The principal sponsor for the event, Bharti Airtel’s Sri Lanka CEO Suren Goonewardene, said: “We have already established a dominant position as a leading supporter of sports in Sri Lanka and are very pleased to have extended that even further by becoming the principal sponsor for the 28th National Rowing Championships, which is one of the most prestigious regattas in the country.”

“We strongly believe in sports development as it plays a key role in the development of future leaders and role models. The waterways far and wide in Sri Lanka will be an ideal sporting arena for the youth of the country to engage in the sport of rowing, which is considered to be one of the healthiest sporting activities of all time. Hence we at Airtel are proud to partner the national rowing body and support the association’s efforts to take the sport to new heights at a truly provincial level,” Goonewardene said.