Rowing: Redgrave endorses NZ world champs campaign

Rowing New Zealand has enlisted help from the big guns to realise its dream of hosting the 2010 world championships.

A video presentation highlighting the benefits and profile a Karapiro-hosted event would bring to the sport was unveiled to journalists in Auckland on Friday night.

The Evers-Swindell twins star in the promotion vehicle but the biggest coup by chief executive Craig Ross and his helpers is to get an endorsement from five-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Steven Redgrave.

Great Briton Redgrave, the only man to win five gold medals in five consecutive Olympics, said his biggest career regret was that he never got a chance to row in New Zealand and that he favoured the regatta coming to Karapiro in 2010.

Rowing New Zealand delegates, including Ross, Mike Stanley, the twins and high-performance manager Andrew Matheson, flew out yesterday to Istanbul to continue their pitch at FISA's world rowing forum which begins on Thursday.

Delegates to the forum will hear recently named female crew of the year, Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell, wax lyrical about the plans for the man-made lake.

"It's a unique place to race. We're blown away by the plans for the course in 2010," the twins said.

If RNZ is awarded the regatta it will cap a magnificent year for rowing. They won four gold medals in less than an hour in Japan in September and FISA recently bestowed Dick Tonks with its Coach of the Year accolade.

"New Zealand successfully held the world championships in 1978. These are still regarded as the best championships ever held," said Ross.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY