Tassie secures nationals
Australian champs to visit our shores for first time in 12 years in March
THE best rowers in the country will converge on Tasmania for the first time in more than a decade, as they fine-tune preparations for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.
Twelve years since last hosting the Australian championships, Lake Barrington will take centre stage when the 2021 nationals unfold from March 22-28. Selection trials for prospective Olympic squad
members are also likely to be held at the venue.
The week-long nationals include the Australian Open Rowing Championships, Australian Open Schools Rowing Championships, as well as the prestigious King’s and Queen’s Cups Interstate Regatta.
Chair of Rowing Tasmania James Gibson OAM said securing the championships was a big coup for the state.
“We are looking forward to showcasing Lake Barrington to a new generation of rowers,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of work over the last six or seven months, now we have to gear up.
“It’s a big eight weeks, not only do we have the end of our own season with the state championships in a couple of weeks then the school season, now we go straight into the nationals.”
Entries are open for the event, with tickets to go on sale Wednesday.
Spectator numbers and safety measures for athletes, staff, coaches, officials and spectators will be determined by Tasmanian Health Department COVID-safe best practice in place at the time of the event.
“We are pleased to be able to confirm that the 2021 Aon Australian Rowing Championships will take place at Lake Barrington, Tasmania next month,” Rowing Australia chief Ian Robson said.
“The RA Board are committed to hosting a safe national championships. Our community has been eagerly awaiting domestic competition and with the COVID-19 travel restrictions easing across the country, we are doing everything we can to make this the best possible event.
“We will continue to be guided by the State and Federal Health Department advice and will monitor the situation regularly to ensure we are able to run the event in accordance with Tasmanian Health’s requirements and our COVID-safe event plan.”