The Cardiff Bay Water Activity Centre (CBWAC) is gearing up for two big events in the indoor rowing calendar.
Two days of competition is planned in December. CWBAC will host the Welsh Schools Indoor Rowing Championships for the seventh year on Friday December 6, followed by the British Indoor Rowing Championships on Saturday December 7. Both events will be held at the Sport Wales National Centre at Sophia Gardens, as hundreds flock to the event that combines the Welsh and the British competitions for the first time.
The schools competition is open to all secondary schools across the UK and a record number of entries have been received. Over 700 school children aged between 11 and 18-years-old, from 20 schools across Wales and England will compete at the Sport Wales National Centre, to take part in a mixture of individually timed races over various distances. These individual races are followed by the fast and frantic team races that will engage all competitors and spectators at the event.
The British Indoor Rowing Championships (BIRC) is an open event and is coming to Cardiff from the Birmingham NEC. The BIRC is one of the world’s biggest indoor rowing race and the largest indoor sporting event in the UK. It takes place in a high-octane environment with races going on throughout the day where competitors race up to 2,000m in the quickest possible time, and it provides a stage for indoor rowing enthusiasts to test themselves on a national level and assess their own performance and progress.
The Welsh Schools Indoor Rowing Championships and the Welsh National Indoor Rowing Championships are organised by Cardiff Harbour Authority in conjunction with Sport Wales, the Rowing Company and the Steve Redgrave Trust.
The championship also attracts sporting legends and stars which in the past included Sir Stephen Redgrave. The link with Sir Steve does not end there . From his Men’s Open triumph in the first ever British championship in 1991 he is now the honorary president and the Steve Redgrave Trust is the official charity of the Championship.
The competitions over the years has become an integral part of the training and selection programmes for both the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race crews, and the Great British rowing squad.
Councillor Ramesh Patel, the Cabinet Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture will be starting the racing at 11am on Friday 6 . He said: “Both rowing and indoor rowing have become successful competitions at CWBAC and the centre has become well-known for its excellent provisions; offering a successful youth programme, hosting University students and elite athletes.
“It is great to see growth in all areas of the sport and as a council we are proud to see the event move to the Sport Wales National Centre. This larger venue will attract more competitors to the city and also ensure we can continue to support grass roots competition and develop elite sports in Wales. I wish everyone participating every success.”
Sarah Powell, Chief Executive of Sport Wales, said:
“We have a great track record of rowing success – over the last two Olympic cycles, Welsh competitors have secured two golds and two silvers. The schools competition alone is attracting more than 700 schoolchildren which helps to get our young people hooked on sport and may well be the springboard for a future star.”
