2014 Thomas Keller Medallist: Drew Ginn

Left to right: Denis Oswald, Drew Ginn, Matt Smith and Dominik Keller. Photo: FISA website.

At the FISA dinner held on Saturday evening, where Denis Oswald handed over the organisation’s Presidency to Jean-Christophe Rolland, Australian oarsman Drew Ginn was awarded this year’s Thomas Keller Medal from the hands of Dominik Keller, son of former FISA president Thomas Keller. Quoting the FISA presentation of Ginn, when it was announced in April that he was one of the candidates for the Keller Medal, WorldRowing wrote on their website:

Drew Ginn shot to fame as part of Australia’s celebrated Oarsome Foursome when they won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Following this Ginn went on to help Australia win medals in the eight, coxed four and pair. At the 1999 World Rowing Championships Ginn, along with partner James Tomkins, became World Champions in the pair setting themselves up as favourites for the 2000 Olympics. A back injury forced Ginn out of the boat and out of rowing at the eleventh hour. But Ginn’s tenacity and perseverance saw him back on form two years later and in 2003 he was again a World Champion. Ginn followed this up with Olympic gold in Athens.

After a post-Olympic break, Ginn returned with new partner, Duncan Free, and together they won the 2006 and 2007 World Rowing Championships. Leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games Ginn again suffered back problems. That didn’t stop him and he won another Olympic Champion title. A back operation and a break followed the Beijing Olympics with Ginn declaring he would make a comeback in the men’s four. The four took on the mighty British four to finish with silver at the London Olympic Games.

Ginn is well-known for his willingness to share his rowing ‘secrets’ as well as his outstanding rowing technique. Ginn is regularly used as an example of the ‘right way to row’.

Find photographs from the World Rowing Night and FISA Presidential Handover Ceremony in Lucerne, here.

Good-bye, Denis Oswald

Today, Denis Oswald, president of FISA since 1989, will hand over the Presidency of the organisation to Jean-Christophe Rolland, of France. The hand-over will take place at the World Cup III regatta dinner in Lucerne. Oswald, who took over when legendary Thomi Keller died in 1989, has served the International rowing well. Read what Worldrowing.com writes about Oswald, here.

Jean-Christophe Rolland, New President of FISA in July 2014

Jean-Christophe Rolland (FRA) ©Igor Meijer/FISA

In a press release from yesterday, the International Rowing Fedaration, FISA, writes that its member federations elected Jean-Christophe Rolland of France as the future President of FISA on the first ballot at the 2013 Ordinary Congress in Chungju, South Korea. Rolland received 117 of the 179 ballots cast. The required absolute majority was 90 votes. Other candidates John Boultbee (AUS) and Tricia Smith (CAN) received 50 and 12 votes respectively.

Rolland holds a Master Degree in electrical, electronics and communications engineering and has worked for EDF, one of the world’s leading electric utility companies, since 1993. At first an engineer, then a regional Deputy Director, he was appointed the Human Resources Director of his business unit. Rolland managed EDF’s sponsorship programme with the London 2012 Olympic Games Organising Committee.

 Rolland participated in three Olympic Games, winning bronze in Atlanta and gold in Sydney. He has five World Championship medals, including two gold medals. Appointed to FISA’s Athletes Commission in 1994, Rolland served as Chair of the Commission between 2002 and 2011 and served on FISA’s Executive Committee from 2004 to 2011, at which time the FISA Council appointed him as a co-opted member.



Rolland will assume the presidency in July 2014, when the current president Denis Oswald will step down from the position. Denis Oswald, FISA president since 1989, announced earlier this year at FISA’s 2013 Extraordinary Congress that he would seek re-election but only for a transitional period of six to eight months. The FISA Council decided to stage the election of Oswald’s successor at the same Congress in order to assist the newly elected ‘president-elect’ in the transfer of knowledge and introductions to the international sports world.



The Congress also elected Tricia Smith (CAN) as Vice-President, winning 98 of a possible 178 votes. Smith was running against the incumbent Vice-President Anita DeFrantz (USA). In addition, Michael Williams (GB), the current Treasurer, was re-elected unopposed. The final elections that took place were for the three commission chairs who also serve on the Executive Committee. The Council had to wait for the outcome of the election for the President and Vice-President elections before proposing the remaining three members of the Executive Committee: Mike Tanner (HKG), John Boultbee (AUS) and Lenka Wech (GER). The delegates voted to approve the proposal. Wech, the only new member of the Executive, is the Chair of the Athletes’ Commission.



Denis Oswald, FISA president since 1989, is retiring next summer, and will be succeeded by Jean-Christophe Rolland.

At the end of the meeting, the Congress unanimously adopted a proposal of the FISA Council to name Denis Oswald ‘FISA Honorary President for Life’, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to rowing over the past 36 years.

Three World Rowing Championship regattas were attributed by the Congress with unanimous decisions: the 2017 World Rowing Championships to Sarasota, USA, 2018 World Rowing Championships to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and the 2015 World Rowing Under-23 Championships to Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

The FISA Council also announced its decision to award the second World Rowing Cup of 2015 to Varese, Italy, and the third World Rowing Cup to Lucerne, Switzerland. Lucerne will host the second World Rowing Cup of 2016 along with the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, and the third and final World Rowing Cup of 2016 will be held in Poznan, Poland.



Bids for the first World Rowing Cup of 2015 and 2016 had been requested from outside Europe, but following a review of the World Rowing Cup in Sydney in 2013 and 2014, it was decided that bids from within Europe should be considered, so the Council announced that these events would not be attributed at this Congress. Bidding has therefore been reopened and both events will be awarded in December 2013.

Three additional events were attributed by the FISA Council: the 2016 World Rowing Masters Regatta to Copenhagen, Denmark, the 2017 World Rowing Masters Regatta to Bled, Slovenia and the 2015 World Rowing Coastal Championships for Clubs to Lima, Peru. The latter marks the first World Rowing Championship event to be awarded to South America, and the first time that the World Rowing Coastal Championships will take place outside of Europe.



Five new national federations were admitted as members of FISA: Benin, Botswana, Mali, Saudi Arabia and St. Vincent & Grenadines. This brings the total number of FISA member federations to 142.

Rule Britannia

The British Four leads Australia and the Unites States at 1,750 metres.

After having returning from Eton Dorney, HTBS’s Tim Koch gives here an euphoric report,

It is said that you should never post anything on the Internet when you are angry or drunk. As I write this, having just returned from the final day of the Olympic Regatta at Dorney Lake, I am very far from angry but I am drunk – not from alcohol but from the success of British Rowing. Readers not from these islands will have to forgive the parochial nature of this report but the last four days of rowing finals have been rather exciting for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Where to start?

WLwt2x – Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hoshing.

All of the 47 strong GB Squad reached the finals. British rowers and scullers have won four golds, two silvers and three bronzes – a new record for a modern Olympic regatta. View the 2012 rowing medal table here (but also the 1908 medal table here).

Until this week British female rowers have never won gold at any Olympics  - now they have changed this record by winning not one, not two but three events. The double scull of Watkins and Grainger and the pair of Glover and Stanning were ‘expected’ to win but the lightweight double of Hosking and Copeland was more of a surprise (especially to them, I think).

The great ‘needle match’ between the old rivals Australia and the British men’s heavy weight four resulted in the fourth win in four Olympics for the Brits. It was also coach Jürgen Gröbler’s ninth gold in nine Games, three for East Germany and six for Britain, a remarkable record.

Miraslava Knapkova winning the Women’s Sculls.

It is true that there have been a couple of ‘disappointments’ for the home crowd, but it is a mark of the ridiculously high standards that British rowing supporters now have that two silvers are regarded as below expectations. These came in the men’s lightweight doubles and men’s lightweight fours, two races that were both lost to the British crews in the closing seconds. It could so easily have been six victories for a country that did not win any events in the Olympic Regattas of 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980!

In his closing speech, Denis Oswald, the President of FISA, the International Rowing Federation, said that the 2012 London Olympic Regatta was the ‘best ever’ for four reasons. These were the standard of the competitors, the excellence of the organisation and the volunteers, the Eton Dorney venue itself and finally ‘the wonderful crowd, cheering and loving our sport’. Well said. Rio has a very tough act to follow.

Ready to go…

The four flags.

The remarkable 2,000-metre zip wire carrying the overhead TV camera. No camera has covered the whole length of the course before.

Soulmaz Abbasiazad of Iran in the W1x D Final. The Games are taking place during Ramadan.

The British Four leads Australia and the Unites States at 1,750 metres.

M4- Stroke Andrew Triggs-Hodge called the row a masterpiece but added that it has been utterly terrifying.

What it is all about – Knapkova’s gold medal.

MLwt2x – The Danes Rasmussen and Quist start to move in on the British double of Purchase and Hunter.

These charming supporters of Team GB are members of Leander.

You could be forgiven for thinking that every supporter at Dorney was British, but these, slightly disappointed, gentlemen were from Gothenburg, Sweden.

Men of the Coldstrean Guards recently came back from Afghanistan. The troops, last minute stand-ins for failed private security, undertook their duties with humour and efficiency.

Band of the Royal Marines and a young recruit.

Olympic Rings and British supporters. Earlier there was a marriage proposal in front of them.

(Copyright © text & photographs Tim Koch)