Just over a month after the meeting with the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea AbodiThe Organizing Committee of major events on Lake Varese has officially presented its own application for the organization of World Masters Rowing Championships 2026 and gods World Rowing Championships 2027.
“It’s a pleasure to be here – begins the president of the Committee Davide Galimberti – to formally announce the formalization of the Committee’s desire, thanks to the significant support of the Ministry of Sport, to apply to host the Rowing World Championships in Varese. We have been working on this step for a long time, not only with the institutions but also and above all with the entire territory because we are talking about an extraordinary event with great visibility. As Mayor I must highlight the great institutional collaboration, the Federation and the Ministry of Sport: in Rome we met Minister Abodi and he was immediately available in signing the letters of guarantee essential for events of this kind“.
Minister Abodi who, despite not being present, made sure to bring your greetings and best wishes for what it would be a return of the World Cup to Italy more than twenty years after the 2003 edition of the Idroscalo in Milan. “That edition left not exactly positive memories – FIC president Giuseppe Abbagnale intervenes –, but we have grown a lot since then. In 2012 the first event was assigned to Varese and since then we haven’t wasted a year: especially here in Varese we have now lost count, improving from time to time, and I believe that the Federation has behaved well along this path in the eyes of World Rowing. Thus we arrive at this candidacy: we had also hypothesized it in the previous four years, then for a series of reasons linked to an economic context we decided to postpone it, at least until now, strong in the awareness and possibility of reaching this goal. There is no shortage of important and qualified competitors, but we want to put all the documentation and conditions on the table to ensure that the choice falls on Varese. The lake here is perfect and in the international arena few nations can boast such naturalistic and technical characteristics, and it is no coincidence that practically half of the national events are held in Varese. I add my thanks to Minister Abodi because within a week he received us and put a letter of guarantee of a certain level into play. The support is there and I am confident, even if we start from the same level as the others: we must put our best foot forward to bring a World Cup here in 2027 which would qualify for the 2028 Olympics“.
“Only with synergistic work can certain results be achieved: our lake is envied abroad and initiatives of this kind are welcome” is the comment of Provincial Councilor Michele Di Toro.
Deputy Mayor Ivana Perusin adds: “There is total sporting, tourist and social harmony: events like this are an important driving force for the city’s economic activity and there is a total and cohesive desire to continue on this path“.
Then the word goes to the general director Pierpaolo Frattini for the more technical questions: “The first thanks goes to all those who worked intensely to put together the application dossier. At the beginning there was a lot of enthusiasm from the experts, mine first and foremost, meeting the approval of nations such as Australia, Norway and Great Britain that orbit in this area; going forward, however, I noticed that this enthusiasm was also shared and reiterated by the whole territory and will have to accompany us until November, when World Rowing will make the decision. Last week we met Federalberghi and there was immediately a lot of willingness to support our candidacy“.
Double nomination because, as Frattini explains: “One of the requirements is the sustainability of the event from all points of view. In 2026 we would like to have the Masters World Championships, an event that is in fact self-financing and which has grown a lot since we hosted it in 2013, which in itself already represents a nice showcase; combining it together with the World Championships is an aspect particularly appreciated by the Ministry and World Rowing. The importance of Varese is given above all from a logistical point of view: between the spaces of the Zanzi Park and the possibility of being connected to the whole city it can make the difference“.
“As the Organizing Committee – continues Frattini – we only had a one-year “stop” for the construction site of the new gym which, on the occasion of international events (European Championships and Olympic Qualification in 2021, U19 and U23 World Cups in 2022, and the World Cup stages in 2023 and 2024, ed.), offers important spaces for all those activities that would otherwise require temporary structures, the costs of which would rise. Our own staff has grown and consolidated over the years, becoming familiar with international events and, among others, the Red Cross has also played an indispensable role recognized and praised on a global level. In recent years we have recorded tens of thousands of overnight stays and each edition has always recorded small records, such as the European Championships in 2021 when Covid was still there and no spectators could be had, the combined World Cup in 2022 which brought an unprecedented influx giving prestige to Varese“.
The concept of the event is already defined and it costs around 4.5 million euros: eight days of competitions, the hospitality of the national teams will be much more important (15-day overnight stays for teams and staff) with an expectation of 1200 athletes (which with the staff, professionals and spectators would rise to almost 120 thousand overnight stays). “One of the new features included in the dossier – continues Frattini – is the creation of a village dedicated to the Giardini Estensi of Varese to bring the event to the heart of the city: transport will obviously be facilitated and the area, in addition to the food & beverage areas and exhibition spaces for sponsors, will host a second award ceremony Olympic. There will be no shortage of space dedicated to entertainment, including concerts and DJ sets, to involve the whole city. The format of the competitions has not yet been defined, but the finals should be divided over four days from Thursday to Sunday: the rowing village activities will therefore be well linked to the sporting events. It will certainly be necessary to expand the stands to the expected 4,000 seats and we will bring high-resolution LED screens and improved digital audio systems. Another particularly appreciated novelty is the Rowers Arena, a dedicated area inside the Zanzi Park for athletes and coaches where they can follow the races from a giant screen“.
“After the Olympics, the World Championships are the most important event – comments the Sports Councilor Stefano Malerba – and after this challenge we would only be missing the Olympics: in a few years Lombardy could have what it takes to host it and, in that case, Varese would have the guarantee of rowing competitions. The hope is that we can get to that day“.
Regarding the cost of the event, Galimberti clarifies: “The Ministry has put up a guarantee of 3 million. The remaining million and a half will come from Varese and for this reason the involvement of local activities becomes fundamental“. Between the end of August and the beginning of September, Varese’s competitors will be known (at the moment the main candidates are Lucerne, in Switzerland, and Bled, in Slovenia): in November World Rowing will make its decision.
Matteo Carraro
