The World Rowing Championships, organized by the International Rowing Federation, or FISA, is a weeklong international rowing regatta. In 2016, it will take place August 21 to August 28 at the Willem-Alexander Baan rowing course in the Zevenhuizen district of Rotterdam, Netherlands. The championships will run in conjunction with the World Junior Rowing Championships and World Rowing U23 (Under 23) Championships. Because the 2016 Summer Olympics will steal the spotlight as the year’s major rowing affair, the competitions will be limited to non-Olympic events. While it might be too late to sign your team up for the championships, it’s not too late to plan a trip to the Netherlands in a private jet.
Rowing Events
In general, the World Rowing Championships has 21 different boat classes during non-Olympic years. In 2016, you can look forward to the following:
- Single sculls (1x): Lightweight men and lightweight women
- Coxless pairs (2-): Lightweight men
- Coxed pairs (2+): Men
- Quad sculls (4x): Lightweight men and lightweight women
- Coxless fours (4-): Women
- Eights (8+): Lightweight men
Events Schedule
- Saturday, August 20, 2016: Opening Ceremony at the Sint-Laurenskerk (St. Lawrence Church) Grote Kerkplein (church square) at 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday, August 21, 2016: Heats U23 (rowers ages 18 to 22)
- Monday, August 22, 2016: Heats Seniors (rowers 23 years old or older)
- Tuesday, August 23, 2016: Heats U23 and Heats Seniors
- Wednesday, August 24, 2016: Heats Juniors (rowers 18 years old or younger)
- Thursday, August 25, 2016: Finals A U23
- Friday, August 26, 2016: Finals A U23
- Saturday, August 27, 2016: Finals A Seniors
- Sunday, August 28, 2016: Finals A Juniors and Closing Ceremony
You can find a full schedule of events on the World Rowing Championship website’s event page.
Tickets
When you purchase tickets to the World Rowing Championships, you gain entry into the venue, access to non-guaranteed seats, or both. Purchasing tickets online secures them at a 10 percent discount.
It is important to note that tickets to the venue (field and picnic) area are not the same as seat tickets. In addition, the tickets for seats are not guaranteed, which means that you cannot reserve seats, even seats at the grandstand, which offer the best views. The best ticket option is one that’s valid on all racing days instead of individual days. To watch an event from the grandstand or otherwise, it is a good idea to arrive to the seating area early.
Where to Stay
In 2016, the World Rowing Championships Organizing Committee partnered with the newer trendy Hotel Ibis Rotterdam City Center. The hotel offers affordable accommodations for friends and family members of the event’s participants.
For a more upscale accommodation, the Suite Hotel Pincoffs, may be more your style. The small hotel maintained many of the original details in the 19th-century building, giving it a unique character. The Suite XLs are the most spacious and enchanting.
Another good accommodation choice is the charming Brasserie Hotel de Nymph, which has an on-site French restaurant.