STAFF REPORTS
PHOTO BY PETER SPURRIER
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World Rowing announced this morning that the 2021 World Rowing Championships scheduled to take place in Shanghai, China, in October have been canceled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“Following comprehensive discussions and considering all possible options, due to the pandemic and related mitigation measures, the Shanghai Organizing Committee (OC) believes that it is not feasible to stage the 2021 World Rowing Championships and proposes to cancel the event,” World Rowing stated in a Sunday morning press release.
“Taking into account all information received, the World Rowing Executive Committee has accepted this proposal and decided to cancel the event. World Rowing very gratefully acknowledges the hard work of the Shanghai OC and the Chinese Rowing Association, and considerable investments into rowing made by the Government of Shanghai and looks forward to the time when international rowing can come back to China.
“World Rowing will hold a Video Conference Call for Member Federations on Tuesday 13 July 2021 at 09:00hrs CET and 17:00hrs CET as an opportunity for representatives to ask any questions relating to the cancellation,” the statement read. “Details of the Zoom Webinar will be shared directly with Member Federations.”
The regatta was the second to be canceled since last week when it was announced that the 2021 World Rowing Masters Regatta to be run in Austria was scrubbed by the Linz-Ottensheim Organising Committee (OC). “This decision was reluctantly supported by the World Rowing Masters Rowing Commission and confirmed by the World Rowing Executive Committee last night,” World Rowing announced Thursday.
“The regatta was scheduled to be held from 1-5 September 2021 at the Ottensheim Regatta Course near Linz, Austria. Due to the continuing pandemic and, in particular, the emergence of the Delta variant, it is now expected that the cross-border and intercontinental travel will continue to be difficult, resulting in very low attendance. With such an expected low turnout it would not be feasible for the organisers to deliver a successful regatta,” World Rowing stated.
