Singapore Rowing Association aims to boost talent pool through indoor rowing events

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s national rowing body is aiming to grow the country’s pool of rowers and introduce more people to the sport by holding more indoor rowing events. 

At the inaugural Singapore Indoor Rowing Championships on Saturday (Mar 30), nearly 120 competitors raced against one other on indoor rowing machines. 

These machines are opening up more possibilities for competition - without getting into the water or battling the hot weather - and for people to stay healthy, said the Singapore Rowing Association, which hopes to make the championships an annual event.

It spent about S$7,000 (US$5,190) to host the indoor rowing event at The Row Space on Aliwal Street. 

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“Indoor rowing is a fantastic competitive event. People come together, they can monitor their performance. It’s an all-weather sport,” said Singapore Rowing Association president Paul Supramaniam.

“We want to make sure that indoor rowing is seen as a core element with a national outreach of preventive healthcare. Indoor rowing actually does make people fitter, healthier (and) stronger. It's also part of active ageing.”

POSSIBLE BILATERAL COMPETITION

The association has plans to hold more such competitions to boost the sport, Mr Supramaniam added. 

“We could actually have a bilateral competition, say between Singapore and Indonesia (or) Singapore and Malaysia, where we have the machines here and the machines there - without the teams even actually having to travel. They could have a bilateral competition between themselves connected by video.”

The new leadership team that took over the association about two years ago is determined to cultivate talent. 

It wants to capitalise on the virtual nature of indoor rowing, and is also exploring virtual reality to bring actual rowing venues to the rowers.

“Indoor rowing is a fantastic way of identifying talent,” said Mr Supramaniam. 

“Secondly, it is a way for people who have not done rowing to test the water and to see if they would like to convert into rowing. It gives flexibility for sportsmen from other sports to look at this possibility.”

SUPPORTING ATHLETES

Observers said rowers often prepare for major competitions such as the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the Olympics using such indoor machines.

For Olympian Joan Poh, the indoor rowing machines were a key part of her training, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The 32-year-old, who represented Singapore at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, is confident that more athletes will fly the Singapore flag high.

“To have a supportive association, the ecosystem, and all stakeholders coming on board, it's just really important for an athlete's mind, headspace and well-being. It is really going to spur us forward,” said Poh, who clinched a bronze in the women’s pair 1,000m with Joanna Chan at the 2015 SEA Games. 

At Saturday’s indoor rowing event, Poh won the women’s 2,000m category. 

“This is one way we can grow the pool (of rowers and) get more people into the sport,” she said, adding that indoor machines can be easily found in gyms around Singapore. 

“The barrier for entry becomes really low.”

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who was at the event, said it is important to build a community around a sport, especially when it comes to promoting active ageing among seniors. 

“When it comes to active ageing, the most important thing for the seniors is having a group of friends and having a group of like-minded people to enjoy your sports with,” he added. “That actually makes them the healthiest.”