The Invictus Games Foundation support first ever British Rowing Virtual Championships
20th June 2020: International wounded, injured and sick Service personnel are joining the upcoming first ever virtual rowing championships led by British Rowing, under a We Are Invictus banner.
Announced earlier this year, British Rowing has launched a British Rowing Virtual Championships, to take place on 27th – 28th June 2020 and bring together international indoor rowers for a weekend of real-time, ‘side- by-side’ racing.
The Championship format will comprise 2000m races and 500m sprints for all adult and adaptive rowers, alongside a range of team relays and additional adaptive, junior and junior adaptive events.
The format will be broadly similar to the way in which the Indoor Rowing competition is currently organised at the Invictus Games, and with the Invictus Games The Hague rescheduling to 2021, the British Rowing Virtual Championships provides an excellent opportunity for keen competitors to continue their preparations as part of their recovery journey.
David Wiseman, Grants and Programme Director at the Invictus Games Foundation, said: “With the rescheduling of this year’s Invictus Games to next year, there was a big gap in how the competitors could continue to utilise the power of sport in their recovery. On top of that, we’ve got the incredible physical and mental challenge of coping with covid19, and the effects of isolation. At the Invictus Games Foundation, we’ve been looking into how active esports can play a role in bringing the Invictus Community together, and we’re so pleased to be supporting these Virtual Championships as a part of that.”
Andy Parkinson, British Rowing CEO, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to hold this innovative competition at a time when competitive sporting action has been in short supply. Participation in indoor rowing since the lockdown came into effect has grown massively, and the British Rowing Virtual Championships provides everyone exercising at home with a chance to test themselves in friendly and meaningful competition.”
“We’re also proud to be offering the same wide range of race categories as the British Rowing Indoor Championships, making the British Rowing Virtual Championships equally accessible, inclusive of all abilities and something which everyone can get behind.”
So far, 9 nations are represented with 25 competitors registering under the Invictus Games Foundation banner.
If you are serving or veteran, and have been wounded, injured or fallen ill during or as a consequence of Service, and would like to take part in the competition also, then sign up and register your interest via the We Are Invictus app for an access code by 7am BST on the 22nd June.
To support rowers in their preparations for the British Rowing Virtual Championships, British Rowing has also launched a series of online challenges and races, available for all to access for free through British Rowing’s online platform. The series of races are running through to the British Rowing Virtual Championships on 27-28 June 2020, and will range from 500m sprints and 5,000m time trials through to 4,000m team relays.
For international members of the wounded, injured or sick Service personnel community who can’t make the Championships, more rowing challenges will be announced soon by the Foundation. There are also other sports available virtually, including a Sunday social cycle ride each week on Zwift, open to the Invictus Community and led by volunteers.
