From September 13-15, Genoa Hosts the Beach Sprint Finals in Rowing, its First Absolute World Championship of an Olympic Discipline hosted in the Last 50 Years
In September, Genoa will become the epicenter of rowing, hosting the World Rowing Coastal Championships & Beach Sprint Finals. This global event, included in the Genoa 2024 European Capital of Sport, is particularly significant as the beach sprint will debut as an Olympic discipline at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, making this the first world championship for an absolute Olympic discipline hosted in Genoa in the last 50 years.
Coastal rowing is valued for its ability to combine the physical intensity of rowing with the environmental challenges of open waters. The formats of beach sprint and endurance will be featured at the Genoa World Championships.
The Beach Sprint Finals are the world finals for the coastal rowing beach sprint, featuring one crew per nation. This is a relatively recent format, characterized by athletes starting the race by running from the beach, getting onto their boats, and following a course marked by buoys, then returning to shore and finishing with a sprint on the beach. Competitions are held on beaches suitable for swimmers and this race format requires participants to exhibit not only speed in running and rowing but also agility, turning power, directional awareness, and wave management skills.
The events will be held at San Nazaro Beach in the heart of Corso Italia. The world championship schedule includes events from September 6th-15th, with endurance races during the first weekend and the Beach Sprint Finals on the second. This marks the second consecutive year for Italy following last year’s edition in Barletta, Apulia.