 | Rowing is the sport that has won the most medals at the Olympic games among Slovenian sports. Our modern history of when we first started winning medals on the international rowing scene now spans over twenty years. Our national team has been renewed a few times, but we still have a strong core of rowers and coaches that have been present from the beginning. Thus this World Rowing Championships will be a perfect, as we say in Slovenia, "dot on the i", of this long journey of success stories. Bled is a small town with a small population, yet it is quite a sports town. It is true that rowing is locally by far the most successful sport, but nonetheless there are many great Slovenian sportsmen coming from Bled or this area. A part of the reason for success, personally I believe it to be a large part, is the determination to pursue perfection in each individual sportsman and the uncompromising hard work. Deriving from this we use those same personal qualities in approaching the organization of these two, for all of us very important events. The 2010 Rowing World Cup will be a perfect overture to the World Rowing Championships in 2011. We are not only interested in organizing the Championships, we want to organize it in the best possible way. In such a way that the rowers, their support teams and visitors will feel welcome, and be amazed by the hospitality, unique scenery, and the great competitions which will take place here. Bled is one of the world’s most recognized rowing venues. We will be hosting the World Rowing Championships for the fourth time in 2011. This time we want to make the event even more striking, better attended, and more attractive to the competitors and visitors alike. We take special care in the environmental issues as well, as we want this championships to set a new standard in eco-friendly events. In addition to very regular conditions on the rowing course, where regardless of the weather conditions all six lanes are equally favorable, Bled as a town is one of the world’s most known tourists spots. As the lake is larger than normal rowing canals it does not allow the spectators to follow the competitors next to the rowing course for all 2000m, but sometimes rowers see this in a rather positive way. The temperatures in Bled in late spring or late summer are very agreeable and thus ideal for rowing competitions and, of course, very pleasant for spectators as well. The Organizing Committee, along with the Rowing Federation of Slovenia, is working hard to provide the best experience for competitors and make these championships very exciting for spectators. We, as locals, are preparing hard and are excited over the arrival of the great sportsmen of the world who will demonstrate their performance here. We do believe in our rowers, and will be cheering very loudly for Slovenians, so make sure you bring along your own supporters to cheer for you too, and get ready to enjoy great matches on the water, and build new friendships off the water. We have lots to offer, so come and see for yourself, and be part of the great live spectacle. Denis Žvegelj President, Rowing Federation of Slovenia |
