The Organizing Committee of the Major Events on Lake Varese has officially forwarded its application to World Rowing to organize the 2027 Absolute World Rowing Championships. Last May, a delegation from Varese was received by Andrea Abodi in Rome and, having obtained feedback highly positive, the bureaucratic process was speeded up until the proposal was formalized. “We have been working on this step for a long time – is the comment of the president of the Organizing Committee Davide Galimberti – and thanks to the collective work of everyone, professionals, institutions and local activities, we are now ready to advance our candidacy with credibility. The meeting with Minister Abodi was truly fruitful and, in less than a week, the Ministry moved to sign the letters of guarantee”.
Institutions represented, as well as by Galimberti himself, Mayor of Varese, by Deputy Mayor Ivana Perusin: “From the moment we moved for an event of this magnitude, we found total sporting, tourist and social harmony: such events are an important driving force for the economic activity of the city”. Provincial Councilor Michele Di Toro adds: “Only with synergistic work can certain results be achieved and here in Varese you can feel total unity of purpose: initiatives of this kind are welcome.” The Councilor for Sport Stefano Malerba also intervenes: “Varese and more generally Lombardy have grown exponentially from this point of view: the hope is that we will arrive at white smoke and then one day we will perhaps even be able to dream of a ‘Olympics’.
The president of the Italian Rowing Federation, Giuseppe Abbagnale, expresses satisfaction and optimism: “Since the last World Championship in Italy in 2003 at the Idroscalo in Milan, the Italian rowing movement has grown greatly and, in particular, Varese has played a role of primary importance both for the seriousness of the Committee and for the geographical and technical characteristics of its lake. We had also hypothesized a candidacy in the previous four years, but the time was not ripe. Today, however, after having followed all the right and natural growth steps, we are ready to bring the Assoluti here in Varese in a year like 2027, which would also guarantee qualifications for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Federation, and I first, he will commit to making this happen by also supporting the bid for the 2026 World Master Regatta”.
From a technical point of view, the estimated cost of the event is 4.5 million euros (of which three guaranteed by the Ministry of Sport, 1.5 by Varese and its sponsorships) and it is precisely the general director of the Organizing Committee Pierpaolo Frattini to go into the merits of the technical specifications by stating that: “In addition to the 2027 World Championships, we have also moved to bring the 2026 Masters World Championships to Varese: we are talking about a category that has grown a lot, which will in turn offer visibility to the territory and which , in some way, it will finance itself. This responds to the fundamental requirement of sustainability, an essential aspect for World Rowing: in this Varese is advantaged primarily by the characteristics of its lake, but above all by logistics. Zanzi Park is the perfect location to host athletes and professionals: inside we will set up a Rowers Arena, an area dedicated to rowers and coaches where they can watch the races from a giant screen.
Transport with the city and hotel facilities will be intensified and facilitated, and we want to bring the event to the heart of Varese: a Rowing Village will be set up at the Giardini Estensi which will host exhibition spaces for sponsors, food & beverage areas, areas dedicated to entertainment and a stage where a second Olympic-style medal ceremony will take place. In the competition area by the lake, the grandstand will be expanded to the expected 4,000 seats. As a committee we feel ready for this big step: in recent years we have strengthened ourselves in terms of staff and structures, acquiring the familiarity necessary to manage international events”. Varese’s competitors will be officially known in September, while at the moment the most accredited are Basel (Switzerland) and Bled (Slovenia). World Rowing will make the final decision in November.
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Michele Morocco
