British Rowing helping to deliver Invictus
British Rowing is helping deliver the rowing competition at the Invictus Games on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The event led by Prince Harry started on Thursday and features 400 disabled athletes from the military services of 13 countries. The indoor rowing competition will be take place on Saturday with racing projected on to screens around the arena allowing 1000s of spectators to follow the action.
Around 100 competitors will be racing on indoor rowing machines including a range of injured female personnel. The big entry for rowing includes Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, USA and Great Britain.
Louise Kingsley from the GB Rowing Team believes in the power of the Invictus Games. “…The athletes from all across the world competing in this event are an inspiration to all of us at British Rowing. For some injured personnel the event will help reintegration into society through the power of sport and for a few it may even be a stepping stone to our Paralympic programme and Rio 2016…”
The rowing events will feature six competition categories with one event open event to participants with minor physical impairments and/or no physical impairment.
These categories differ from the Paralympic classifications of Leg, Trunk and Arms (LTA), Trunk and Arms (TA), and Arms and Shoulders (AS), to enable further inclusion of military personnel, and to promote fair competition on the basis of physical ability. The Invictus Games’ race distances are 4min and 1min.
The 4min time is most similar to the Paralympic race distance of 1000m. The 1min event is a sprint compliment to the 4min endurance event, ensuring athletes with different physiologies get the opportunity to perform well. In addition, it increases inclusivity for athletes with more severe impairments who are unable to compete in the 4min event.
All competitors racing in the competition are eligible for the team event, regardless of gender and competition category. Each team is made up of 4 members from each nation.
The British Invictus Team has three injured military personnel on the GB Rowing Team Development Pathway. These athletes have benefitted from the Frontline to Startline Talent Identification Programme run by the British Paralympic Association and Help for Heroes. They aim to be competing at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Meet some of the British Team
- Jordan Beecher and Ray Lowrie from the Sport England funded England Talent Pathway Programme and Scott Meenagh from Scotland are on the GB Rowing Team Development Pathway and competing as part of the British Team at the Invictus Games
- Nick Beighton, bilateral amputee who lost both his legs in Afghanistan, came 4th at the London 2012 Paralympics in para rowing in the TA mixed double scull.
The rowing events can be followed on BBC 1 from 1300 to 1630, in the Highlights programme on BBC2 from 2100-2200 and online. Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04hgs2m for more information.
For photos and updates, follow @Rowability on Twitter.
Find out more about the British team:
