BLRC obtains eight seater rowing boat

Richard Dwight

It’s through the initiative, enterprise and enthusiasm of a few with a penchant for rowing, that the Bolgoda Lake Rowing Club (BLRC) came into being in 2008. The club in its early five year period successfully achieved the twin objectives of raising the standards of rowing in Sri Lanka by developing infrastructure to internationally accepted norms while popularizing the sport of rowing in areas out of Colombo.

Picturesque as it is the club on the banks of the Bolgoda Lake Moratuwa, BLRC has access to the only internationally accepted 2km course Sri Lanka and has continued to develop rowing facilities for its members. It has taken steps to conduct regular 4-6 lane regattas over 2000 km course.

Versatile as the club is, it took the first ever tangible steps to host the indoor rowing championship for the first time in the country in collaboration with the Kotalawala Defence University.

Furthermore BLRC was instrumental in organizing and hosting the first ever association of schools rowing in Asia (ASRA) regatta, which has now become the most sort after regional schools regatta.

The members of the BLRC though pleased with what has been achieved thus far felt strongly that if they were to progress further, they ought not to be complacent but strive harder in the future as well.

This did spur the president of the BLRC, Sithira Wickramasekera, to create history in rowing and the country by getting done for the first time into the island the first ever VIII seater rowing boat the stapled. Rowing hither too has been conducted by small boats but this octaple (eight seater with coxain) in indeed a dream come true to our oarsmen women.

It will equally interesting if army to as proposed gets down a eight seater. The boat after minor speculation was named after Rohan Fernando the former Sri Lanka rowing captain, Vice President of BLRC, Chanaka Talapahewa who has also rowed for Oxford in the eight seater backed, Rohan Fernando, General Secretary of ASRA and Vice President of BLRC Lasantha Welikala was also supportive of the boat being named Rohan Fernando.

Rohan Fernando has successfully done well in all aspects of rowing and as the president of the National Association was able to secure a plot of end in Diyawanna for rowing headquarters.