Regatta draws near
Prime rowing event set for East London
THE East London Boating Association (ELBA) will be hosting the 131st Buffalo Regatta from February 8 to 10 on the Buffalo River, consisting of six lane sprint racing over 1000 and 2 000m.
The Buffalo Regatta has been a highlight on the South African rowing calendar due to the two magnificent trophies – the Buffalo Grand Challenge for Senior A Coxless Fours and the Silver Sculls for Senior A Single Sculls. The trophies are commonly regarded as the most valuable in South Africa and are keenly contested by the national squad.
ELBA chairman, Phillip King, said the Buffalo Regatta attracted participants from the country's universities, clubs and schools. “We are honoured to have both women and men of the Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) national squad competing annually. The Buffalo Regatta has grown from a Saturday morning regatta consisting of only a dozen races to three days, from Thursday to Saturday, 12 hours each day, which makes it the biggest rowing event in the country.”
The regatta incorporates over 1 000 competitors taking part in more than 200 events over three days. This includes the Selborne Schools Sprint Regatta, a unique sprint race over 500m. “Over the last couple of years, the event has been televised on a SuperSport channel.”
RMB is the official sponsor of the RMB national rowing squad leading up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and ELBA is delighted to be partnering with RMB.