Port Vila, Vanuatu, hosted the 2025 World Rowing Oceania Youth Development Training Camp, welcoming athletes from American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia and the host nation. In total, 16 athletes—eight women and eight men—took part, supported by four coaches.
The camp was organised with the support of Olympic Solidarity, the Oceania Rowing Confederation (ORCON), the Vanuatu Rowing Association and the respective National Olympic Committees. It was led by World Rowing Development Manager for Asia and Oceania, Inas Hussein, with coaching support from Laryssa Biesenthal OLY, Development Coach Expert for Oceania, and Catherine Garrington, World Rowing International Technical Official, who officiated the Championships.
This was the second camp of its kind in Oceania, following the inaugural edition in Sydney in 2024. It provided junior athletes with an opportunity to strengthen their Rowing skills and contributed to the growth of the sport in developing federations across the region.
As part of the programme, the 2025 Oceania Youth Development Erg Regatta was held on 13 December. Events included a 500m race for junior women, a 500m race for junior men, and a 16‑minute mixed relay, with teams of four athletes—two women and two men—rotating every minute. Papua New Guinea, which joined World Rowing in 2023 and is still establishing its Rowing programme, participated with two athletes. To enable PNG to compete in the relay, two athletes from Vanuatu joined their team, racing against their own country team in a gesture that reflected the values of excellence, respect and friendship.
The camp also featured the 2025 Oceania Youth Development Beach Sprint Championships, with junior women’s solo, junior men’s solo and junior mixed doubles events. Vanuatu’s Lydie Petersen, President of Vanuatu Rowing Association and Jean Louis Morin served as Technical Delegates, following their training with World Rowing in Auckland in 2024. The focus on the beach sprint discipline reflects the inclusion in the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in 2026, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and potentially Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, as well as future Pacific Games, hopefully with the upcoming edition to be hosted in Tonga in 2031.
The event carried particular significance for Vanuatu, which continues to recover from the devastating earthquake of 17 December 2024. Despite these challenges, the Vanuatu Rowing Association worked with World Rowing to deliver the camp and championships, supporting both local athletes and those from smaller Oceania nations rebuilding their Rowing programmes after the disruption caused by the Covid‑19 pandemic.
The camp concluded on 17 December 2025, marking the one‑year anniversary of the earthquake. A minute of silence was observed to honour those who lost their lives and to recognise the resilience of the people of Vanuatu, particularly in Port Vila. The strong engagement of the local community was evident throughout, with volunteers and supporters helping the VRA to host and organise the event.
Following the camp, the VRA reported growing interest from the local community, with many keen to try Rowing after seeing the races. The exposure provided by the camp and championships is expected to encourage participation across age groups, from youth to adults and seniors.
Special thanks were extended to the Vanuatu National Olympic Committee and its Secretary General, Cyrille Mainguy, who joined the erg regatta, as well as to Ultimate Fitness Gym, owned by Cyril Jacobe, which provided equipment for the event.
The camp and championships leave a lasting legacy in Vanuatu, building local expertise and capacity to host future beach sprint competitions, while raising the profile of Rowing in the country. World Rowing hopes that these efforts will continue to expand the sport across Oceania, complementing the established programmes in Australia and New Zealand and paving the way for more frequent continental events involving athletes from all federations in the region.
Photos credit: David John