Rowing

Para-Rowing provides athletes with a vision impairment the opportunity to be active on the water, get involved in a fun and friendly club environment, and participate in a variety of competitions from club regattas through state and national championships to world championships and Paralympic Games.

Para-Rowing is integrated into the High Performance unit within Rowing Australia. It was introduced as a Paralympic sport at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games and provides athletes with the opportunity to achieve at the highest level.

In conjunction with Paralympics Australia and State Sporting Organisations, Rowing Australia is actively identifying talent in each state.

Rules & Equipment 

The hull of the adaptive rowing boat is identical to able-bodied boats. Adaptive rowing boats are equipped with special seats, which vary according to the disability of the rower. To date, there are no other specifications on the seat apart from the following: the LTA4+ has a sliding seat; the other three boat classes have fixed seats. The TA 2x has a seat, which offers ‘complimentary support’. The AW1x and AM1x are equipped with a seat, which offers ‘ postural support’ to those individuals with compromised sitting balance (i.e. spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy). This ensures the upper body is supported and kept in a fixed position.

Smaller boats are equipped with buoyancy devices called pontoons, which act as stabaliser attached to the boats riggers, providing additional lateral balance.

Pathways

Links to each State Organisation for Blind Rowing is listed below, on those pages you will find contact information, as well as information about the sport itself and the differences between Sighted Rowing and Vision Impaired Rowing.

Contacts