Photo: World Rowing.
World Rowing has big ambitions for virtual rowing. The international federation recently announced that the calendar will be significantly expanded, with two World Championships per year, one virtual and one in person. This is a logical development given the growth of the sport in recent years.
Accessible, intergenerational and fun
There haven't been any fully in-person World Indoor Rowing Championships since February 2020 in Paris. More than 2.300 rowers took part in the competition at the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium. The World Championships were held in a hybrid format in Toronto in 2023 and Prague in 2024, with some athletes participating on-site and others remotely. The wait will end this year as Birmingham has been confirmed as the host city for the event on December 5th and 6th. The city of Peaky Blinders will welcome participants from around the world, who will be able to compete in the 500-meter, 2.000-meter, or relay events. Categories are also planned for athletes with disabilities.
« The return to an in-person format marks a decisive turning point for the discipline and reaffirms World Rowing's commitment to the development of indoor rowing on the international stage, as well as its ambitions to see this sport integrated into future eSports Olympic Games. " explains the FI in a press release. Two virtual World Championships took place in February 2025 and 2026. They demonstrated the vitality and reach of the discipline by attracting thousands of participants of all ages from around the world.
During his re-election in May 2025World Rowing president Jean-Christophe Rolland had specifically emphasized this area of development: Indoor rowing is a powerful tool for the development of our sport. It is accessible, intergenerational, and can be fun thanks to innovative interfaces. It will help us reach new audiences and bring more people closer to our sport. We are structuring it by creating bridges between grassroots participation and elite competitions, taking into account the specific health and fitness benefits of this sport for young people and society in general, developing new formats through various partnerships, and more. Our goal is clear: to make connected indoor rowing a pillar of our global strategy. "The rise of Hyrox competitions, where rowing is part of the events, has further strengthened this interest in indoor rowing. Now, the challenge is to make this a lasting success."
