NZ not disadvantaged in bid for 2010 Rowing Worlds

by Evan Pegden, stuff.co.nz on 25 Mar 2006 New Zealand's small size and geographic isolation will not stop it getting the 2010 World Rowing Championships, according to world rowing boss Matt Smith.


But Smith - the American executive director of the world rowing federation (Fisa) based in Switzerland - warned that Rowing New Zealand would still need to prove they had a better bid than the Dutch one out of Amsterdam to secure the world championships.

‘We have a principle in Fisa that because of our strong European base (40 of the 118 member nations are in Europe) we need to go out of Europe with the world championships once during each four-year cycle,’ Smith said from Switzerland on the eve of heading to Hamilton tonight with a delegation to look at the Kiwi bid.

The last time that happened was last year in Gifu, Japan, this year's championships are in Eton, England, and then the event goes to Germany (Munich) next year and Poland (Posnan) in 2009.

But between Munich and Posnan are the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, meaning there is no pressure for Fisa to go outside Europe in 2010 in order to stick to their policy.

‘It is our duty to consider non-European bids and as far as New Zealand being far away I think there is an acceptance throughout Fisa that we don't just stick our heads in the sand and stay in Europe or the northern hemisphere,’ he said.

‘And being a small nation doesn't enter into it either. There have been a number of countries of similar size that have hosted the championships.’

Smith said New Zealand was a strong rowing nation producing excellent international results and many people still remembered fondly the 1978 world championships at Lake Karapiro.

‘So we're just looking for a quality bid from Karapiro,’ he said.

‘But the pressure is still on both bidders.

‘There's no compulsion for us to go outside Europe in 2010 so the successful bidder will just be the best bid.’

Smith said he had visited 120 countries in the course of his job but this would be his first trip to New Zealand.

However, at least one member of the four-strong Fisa delegation has been here before, events commissioner Svetla Otzetova, a member of the gold medal-winning Bulgarian women's double at Karapiro in 1978.

Fisa Congress meets in England on August 28 to make the final decision.

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