Almost 1000 athletes are in limbo and lockdown tonight in the McKenzie Basin awaiting a decision on the biggest week of their sporting year.
Typically at this time of the year Lake Ruataniwha would be rife with cheering and competition thanks to the New Zealand Rowing Championships, but with Covid-19 alert levels shifting around the country, those scenes are yet to be replicated this year.
That’s despite the fact that rowers, coaches and volunteers have all travelled thousands of kilometres up and down the country just to get there.
Hadleigh Musson from Auckland Rowing Club said the situation is heartbreaking.
“We've been training for a good season, putting a lot of effort in and training and a lot of money as well,” he said.
“It's not easy just flying down to the South Island.”
With almost 1000 athletes competing, it's impossible to start the regatta tomorrow under Level 2 restrictions, however Rowing NZ is looking into condensing the schedule so it can begin on Thursday when the Government has reviewed the alert levels.
If not, many will have to pack up and head home without ever touching the water – a significant blow for the sport, North Shore Rowing Club’s Mat Jensen said.
“There’s been a few sleepless nights and I think they'll continue until some hard decisions are having to be made.”
It comes as another blow for New Zealand's rising talent after the Maadi Cup - the biggest schools regatta in the southern hemisphere – was cancelled last April.
Olympic rower Emma Twigg said it's also affecting our elite competitors with the Tokyo Olympics less than six months away.
“This was the build up to Tokyo, knowing that we're probably unlikely to be in Europe this year for a world cup,” she said.
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