Second World Rowing Indoor Championships Heads to California

Working in partnership with World Rowing (FISA), USRowing and the Long Beach Sprints, Concept2 is pleased to announce the location of the second World Rowing Indoor Championships.

The event will be staged in Long Beach, California, USA on February 24, 2019. It will combine with the Long Beach Sprints and will also serve as the inaugural USRowing Indoor National Championships.

”Long Beach has a proud legacy in American rowing, beginning with the 1932 Olympic Games, and we have been an incubator for Olympic and National Team talent through the intervening 85+ years. We can’t wait to welcome the world to our doorstep in 2019,” said Rob Glidden, President of the Long Beach Rowing Association. “We have run indoor rowing competitions since their inception over 35 years ago, but being part of the World Rowing Indoor Championships, and helping the event to grow and thrive, is a unique privilege.”

Olena Buryak, winner of the Women's Open at the 2018 World Rowing Indoor Championships. © Detlev Seyb/MyRowingPhoto.com

The indoor championships is in its second year and follows the successful staging of the first World Rowing Indoor Championships in Alexandria, VA, USA in February 2018. The inaugural championships attracted over 2,500 participants from 33 countries and saw three new World Records, including indoor rowing star Olena Buryak of Ukraine setting a record in the 30-39-year-old women’s race, and Christine Cavallo of the United States setting the women’s lightweight record.

“Indoor rowing is now a legitimate international sporting discipline and a championship-rated format is necessary,” said Jean-Christophe Rolland, FISA President. “The success of the first event shows that the demand for the championships is justified. We are making plans for future events to take place in different parts of the world.”

“Over the last 35-plus years, erg racing has spread due to the rowing community’s love of fair competition, with thanks to the enthusiasm and energy of race organizers worldwide,” said Peter Dreissigacker, Founder, Concept2. “The involvement of FISA and national federations raises the bar.”

“We are excited to be partnering with FISA, Concept2 and the Long Beach Sprints to bring the World Rowing Indoor Championships back to the United States in 2019,” said Patrick McNerney, Chief Executive Officer of USRowing. “We also are thrilled to be launching our inaugural USRowing Indoor National Championships as part of this event. Indoor rowing continues to grow in popularity and provides us with the opportunity to attract a whole different set of athletes to our sport. By establishing a national indoor championship, we have the chance to take the sport of indoor rowing to the next level.”

Time and place
Venue: The 2019 World Rowing Indoor Championships is being held at the Walter Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State University, California, USA.
Schedule and Events: The championship takes place on February 24, 2019. The distance for all WRIC competitions is 2000 metres. There are open, junior, under-23, para and masters events in both openweight and lightweight categories.

Who can participate?
Anyone is eligible to compete in the WRIC. No qualification is necessary!

Para-racing news
There will be two para-rowing distances. A 2000m World Rowing Indoor Para Championship, and a Concept2 Indoor Rowing Para World Championships over 1000m.

Registration
Registration will be through the RegattaCentral website. The WRIC section of our website will be updated with the link when it is available.

Will race machines be available for purchase?
Race machines will be available to purchase directly from the Long Beach Sprints.