The National Regatta is entrenched in the sporting tradition of our country.

For decades, the regatta has captured the imagination of thousands of spectators who throng the Valletta Grand Harbour to watch local rowing clubs battling it out for the coveted shield.

Earlier this month, the Għaqda Regatta Nazzjonali was entrusted for the first time with the organisation of the Victory Day races with Marsa capturing the headlines after completing a memorable double, winning the Open and Youth categories for the second year running.

Joseph N. Grima, the president of the Għaqda Regatta Nazzjonali, was quite pleased with how the proceedings went.

“When you take into consideration the fact that we were given full responsibility for the technical organisation of the September 8 regatta only three weeks before the event, I believe that we have done a good job,” Professor Grima told The Sunday Times of Malta.

“Obviously, in this short period of time, we couldn’t implement many changes but I think that, if you had to compare the September 8 regatta with the one held on March 31, everyone would agree that, from a technical point of view, this month’s event was better organised and no incidents were reported.”

By his own admission, Prof. Grima concedes that there are still a lot of problems that have plagued the National Regatta over the years that need to be tackled, with the main criticism aimed at the lengthy delays between the races.

“It’s true that excessive delays between one race and the next could be a reason why the general public is staying away from the national regatta,” Prof. Grima said.

“The main cause of such delays is that we only have one set of jury boats to monitor all the races so it takes time to get from the finish to the start line for the next race.

“Another factor is that, since our clubs do not have huge financial budgets, they often find themselves in a situation where they have one good set of oars which they use from one race to the other.

“Switching boats takes time.

“Having said that, we are studying ways to make the regattas as flowing as possible and one solution is surely that to improve communication between all stakeholders as that would avoid any misunderstandings and the time between races is reduced significantly.”

As an association, we focus on all the rowers, not just those who take part in the National Regatta

Prof. Grima said one change which surely worked this year was that the draws of lanes for all races were held just before the start.

“This change minimised the risk of cheating during races,” he said.

“In the past, teams knew who will be racing in which lane a week before but now rowers only learn their racing position just before the start and that was a key factor in having a regatta with no collisions between boats.”

The Għaqda Regatta Nazzjonali president said that his organisation is exploring the possibility of turning one of the regatta races into an international event.

“It’s in our plans to invite rowing clubs from abroad to take part in our regatta in the near future,” he said.

“We are still working on this but I think that having foreign rowers competing in our regatta would certainly add prestige to the event.

“We have not decided yet whether to turn the March 31 or September 8 races into an international event or introduce a third regatta, but we certainly feel that this initiative must be put into practice.”

Prof. Grima emphasised that his organisation is not just responsible for the national regatta but their chief aim is to make sure that the rowers enjoy practising their favourite sport.

“As an association, we focus on all the rowers, not just those who take part in the National Regatta,” he said.

“In fact, we are looking to promote different modes of rowing, namely sliding-seat rowing, which is practised in the Olympics, coastal rowing and also indoor rowing.

“To this end, our affiliation with the world governing body FISA is a huge boost as now we can gain more expertise and technical assistance in the various disciplines and this will help us to take our sport further.”

Exposure

Prof. Grima is committed to giving Maltese rowers more international exposure.

“Next month, we are sending a group of 20 rowers to Italy to compete in a number of races,” he said.

“The group is made up not only of senior rowers but also five or six under the age of 18.

“We included these youngsters because we believe that they are the future of our sport and we want to give them the opportunity to experience international competition which is so important for their development.”

“We are also sending another group of rowers for a training camp in sliding-seat rowing in Italy,” Prof. Grima added.

“This is a discipline that is not much practised in Malta but it seems like we have a lot of potential.

“In fact, earlier this year we had a team competing in Italy and they achieved some excellent results.

“Our end goal here is that, one day, we will be able to compete in European and World Cham-pionships but it’s a process that takes time.”

Prof. Grima also revealed that, later this year, they will be organising a national championship for Indoor Rowing and the winners will represent the country in the European Championship early next year.

The Għaqda Regatta Nazzjonali head said that he is determined to turn rowing into an elite sport in Malta and wants to encourage the creation of more rowing clubs in our country.

“Malta is surrounded by the sea and surely there is room for more rowing clubs on our islands,” he said.

“I can’t understand how localities such as Qawra, Buġibba and St Paul’s Bay, which are surrounded by the sea, do not have a rowing club.

“I’m sure that even if one of the many hotels in that area were to open a rowing facility, it would be a great attraction not only for Maltese youngsters but also to foreigners who are on holiday in Malta.

“Our sport attracts rowers from different walks of life.

“We have bankers, lawyers and even architects who are taking part in our activities and my appeal is that whoever is interested in practising rowing, in any particular discipline, to approach us and we will surely give him the opportunity to get involved.”