MANILA, Philippines – More than 100 athletes from Metro Manila gathered at the University Hotel in UP Diliman on Saturday, November 30, for the 2nd Philippine Indoor Rowing Meet. Organized by the Philippine Rowing Association (PRA), the friendly competition was attended by rowing enthusiasts of all ages.
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PRA president Patrick Gregorio said the organization is working with local government units to further implement programs for the young athletes. “I sincerely believe that Filipinos can excel globally in rowing. We just have to encourage more Filipinos to take up the sport,” he said in a statement.
The event was also the formal launch of the Open Academy of Rowing (OAR), a grassroots program aimed to identify and develop future athletes of the national rowing team.
Maricon Fornea, coach of the national rowing team, said they are really looking to widen the pool of the national athletes. She said they have to add more members to the team, especially because they are preparing for the Southeast Asian Games in December 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Together with Gregorio, rowing Olympians graced the OAR launch: Joanie Delgaco, who competed in Paris 2024; Cris Nievarez who competed in Tokyo 2020; Benjie Tolentino from Sydney 2000; and Edgarno Maerina from the Seoul Games in 1988.
“I was really happy because when I qualified for the Paris Olympics, there seemed to be a clamor for our sport. It wasn’t like that before,” Delgaco said on Saturday.
Delgaco shared that rowing changed her life — from being a teenager in Bicol, to moving to Manila to pursue a career in the sport.
“We were renting a house and it was really hard. There were times that we went to sleep without eating dinner,” she recalled. “But when I started a career in rowing, I was able to help my family.”
During the meet, members of the national rowing team also held exhibition races. They rowed 2,000 meters and their time will be included in their official athlete records.
Student-athletes from the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila de University also participated in the races.
Looking ahead, the PRA also said it is working to establish rowing academies in the Philippines, in collaboration with the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragon Boat Federation and its president Len Escollante.
“We will be launching OAR in Siargao Island soon to train athletes, specifically in beach sprint rowing, which will debut in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles,” Gregorio added. – Rappler.com