The World Rowing Development Programme is designed to boost member federations’ participation in major international events by actively supporting their involvement in world competitions. Thanks to the generous backing of the Trakai World Championships Organising Committee, the programme welcomed seven rowing nations—Moldova, Georgia, Uganda, and Tunisia—alongside a targeted initiative focused on advancing female crews from Estonia, Finland, and Slovakia. A key pillar of the programme is the creation of excellence pathways that enhance coaching quality and crew competitiveness, helping bridge the performance gap between emerging federations and rowing’s powerhouse nations, ultimately strengthening the sport’s global competitiveness.
Gianni Postiglione, World Rowing’s Head of Coaching, oversees the high performance coaching support and leads the technical delivery of development initiatives at World Championships. During the Programme technical debriefs Gianni emphasised “the importance of a holistic approach—planning,training, and monitoring—as essential to consistently elevating performance levels.”
World Rowing collaborates with a range of partners to extend development support across its membership. In Trakai the Filippi team provided boats for programme crews, much to the delight of the young athletes. This partnership has been a cornerstone of the development programme for over a decade, offering unwavering support to those with the greatest needs.
World Rowing extends its heartfelt thanks to the Trakai Organising Committee for their invaluable support. The event also showcased the inspiring commitment of the World Rowing Coach Support Team from Lithuania—Valdas Venskus, Virgilijus Prusinskas, and lead coach Mykolas Masilionis—whose expertise and energy played a key role in empowering the athletes and elevating the programme’s impact.