This weekend, the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals will take place on San Nazaro Beach in Genoa, a unique event following last weekend’s World Endurance Championship, which saw the participation of 700 athletes from over 40 countries across five continents. This event is an unmissable opportunity for the public to witness a competition that marks a historic turning point in the coastal rowing scene, enriched by the presence of around 400 athletes from 50 nations.
For the first time, the Beach Sprint is the star of an international event with Olympic discipline status, ahead of its official debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. It is a relatively recent yet spectacular format, where athletes start with a sprint on the beach, quickly board their boats, race through a course marked by buoys at sea, and then return to the beach to finish with a final sprint.
The stage for this event is the stunning location of San Nazaro Beach, along Corso Italia, whose natural beauty offers a perfect setting for a sporting competition of this level. The Beach Sprint Finals are one of the highlights of the 2024 Genoa European Capital of Sport program, providing the city with an opportunity to solidify its leading role in the international sporting landscape.
The opening ceremony will take place tomorrow, September 13th, marking the beginning of a long weekend filled with important cultural initiatives in our city. The world-class event will be inaugurated with a procession starting from Piazza Matteotti at 6:30 PM CET, passing through the heart of Genoa with a spectacular parade of international athletes. The parade, accompanied by a band selected by the organizers, will proceed through Piazza De Ferrari, where a flag-waving performance will take place in front of Palazzo Ducale, before continuing toward Palazzo Tursi. Tomorrow morning, the time trials will begin, but after the procession, the Beach Sprint Finals can officially be declared open.
“We are on the eve of the Beach Sprint World Championship”, said Giuseppe Abbagnale, President of the Italian Rowing Federation, “and I am confident it will be a great success in terms of participation as it represents the path to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. A success based on the excellent organization demonstrated by the Local Organizing Committee last weekend with the Coastal Endurance World Championship. I would like to thank the COL and Mayor Bucci for their unwavering support of this major effort, which celebrates Genoa as the 2024 European Capital of Sport on the global stage”.
“We still have in mind the emotions of the endurance races, stronger even than the bad weather that hit Genoa last weekend, but we are already ready to experience new ones with all the participants of the Beach Sprint World Championship”, said Alessandra Bianchi, Councilor for Sports and Tourism of the Municipality of Genoa. “The Genoa stage is set to go down in the history of sport, of our city, and beyond. After setting a record for participation, the Beach Sprint World Championship is ready to begin its journey towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where this spectacular discipline will make its debut. In addition to competing in such a scenic location like Corso Italia, our coastline, this will be an opportunity for all participants to discover our city with all its beauty, excellence, and unique features. Genoa, the European Capital of Sport and, for this week, the Capital of Rowing, is ready to amaze once again”.