The 2020 Colgan Foundation Virtual Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships will be hosted on Saturday 5 December (NZT) and is an open event for all who wish to participate, extending from U15 to 100+, and including masters, lightweight and para categories.

2020 will see the debut of the Colgan Cup – a Trans-Tasman challenge between New Zealand and Australia. The Colgan Foundation, proud supporters of the development of rowing in both nations, is a not-for-profit corporation founded by Sean P. Colgan to benefit athletic, scientific, environmental, and education communities. The Colgan Cup will be awarded to the country with the highest points tally between New Zealand & Australia, based on the following points system:

Since retiring from rowing after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Eric Murray has remained heavily involved in the sport, championing indoor rowing across New Zealand in his dual roles with the New Zealand Indoor Rowing Association and Concept2. ‘’Whilst 2020 has delivered challenges many of us could never have expected, sport has continued to provide focus and health around the world,’’ commented Eric. “Initially only seen as a way to improve on-water performance, indoor rowing is now an official sport in itself, as recognised by World Rowing.

“Concept2 and the New Zealand Rowing Foundation are proud to deliver the 2020 Colgan Foundation Virtual Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships alongside Rowing NZ and Rowing Australia. The newly introduced Colgan Cup will also build upon our Trans-Tasman comradery post the Anzac Day Indoor Rowing Challenge held earlier this year.”

500m and 2000m race distances will be included in the event. Age categories as of 28 February 2021 (to align with the 2021 World Rowing Indoor Championships).

Only Concept2 Indoor Rowers may be used for this event. Competitors may use the drag factor of their choice, but this cannot be changed during the race. Competitors will need to provide all equipment needed to compete in this event. This will include;

• Concept 2 Rowing machine with updated PM3, PM4 or PM5 monitor
  https://www.concept2.com/service/software/concept2-utility
• A USB A to B cable
• Compatible Windows or MacOS Laptop/Computer with Chrome or Edge Browser installed
• The ability to install/use a 3rd party communication system as backup in the event of failure of built in race system communication
• A stable internet connection. Direct ethernet connect preferred.

Entries close for the 2020 Colgan Foundation Virtual Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships midnight 29 November (NZT). Race times will be confirmed at the close of entries.

Entry fees:
NZ$10 for 500m events
NZ$20 for 2000 events

For more information on the 2020 Colgan Foundation Virtual Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships, and to enter, click here.

The event is also sanctioned by World Rowing as the Oceania Continental Qualifier for the 2021 World Rowing Indoor Championships (WIRCH) to be held on 27-28  February 2021. The WRICH are held annually, typically near the end of February. The 2021 WRICH, presented by Concept2, will be held virtually and will include two pathways for competitors to earn a place in the Finals: an Open Qualification pathway and a Continental Qualification pathway.

For more information on the 2021 World Rowing Indoor Championships, click here. For any enquiries surrounding qualification, please contact indoor@fisa.org