site.btaPlovdiv Hosts Two World Rowing Competitions This Year

For the first time, Plovdiv will host two world rowing competitions within a single year – a round of the World Rowing Cup and the World Under-19 Championships. At a press conference on Thursday, the Organizing Committee announced that the city’s rowing channel had passed an inspection by a control commission from the World Rowing Federation and received a very high rating ahead of the two events.

The press conference was attended by the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Ivan Popov; Plovdiv Deputy Mayor Nikolay Bukhalov; the Head Coach of the Bulgarian Rowing Federation, Rumyana Neykova; the Organizing Committee's Secretary General, Daniel Hristov; and the Race Director of the Championships, Nikola Gospodarski.

Plovdiv will host a round of the World Rowing Cup from June 12 to 14, and the World Under-19 Championships from August 6 to 9.

Organizing Committee Chair Ivan Popov said that, so far, entries for the World Cup round have been received from 27 countries, with over 300 athletes expected to participate in total.

"Besides these two competitions, in early September Plovdiv will also host the Balkan Championships. In August 2027, we will host two world championships combined in one – for under-19 juniors and under-23 athletes," Popov said, drawing attention to the project for a second rowing canal in the city, which "has been in the works" for 20 years but has yet to come to fruition.

Deputy Mayor Bukhalov highlighted the benefits for the city of hosting such significant competitions: they raise its profile and generate additional budget revenue from tourism. "Plovdiv has experience in organizing such events. We have also hosted many other European and world championships, and I believe that this year Plovdiv will once again perform excellently. The city offers outstanding conditions and sports infrastructure. As you know, it is a candidate for European Capital of Sport for 2028. I hope we will win this title," Bukhalov said.

Olympic rowing champion and head coach of the federation Rumyana Neykova emphasized the benefits for Bulgarian rowing of holding these competitions in Bulgaria. "These are prestigious events for our country. Competitions with which the children are highly motivated. The best athletes from around the world come here and set an example for the younger generation. This is an excellent stage in their development when such competitions take place in Bulgaria," Neykova commented.

"At the moment, Bulgaria does not have many prominent male athletes in these competitions. We have one man and six juniors who will take part in the World Cup, but the crews for the events have not yet been finalized and training is ongoing. This is excellent for them because they are still young and will be able to compete alongside experienced athletes," added the Olympic champion, specifying that those preparing for the World Cup include Hristo Neshev and Mario Neykov in the double scull, Valentin Andonov and Iliyan Stoilov also in the double scull, and Hristo Branzalov in the single scull.