Choose Philippines! International Water Sports Events Do
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Image Courtesy: Martyn Willes
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The Philippines is slowly becoming the recognized venue for international sporting events and in particular, water sports events. For example: in December 2012 the holiday resort paradise of Boracay Island hosted the windsurfing RS:One World Championship; in 2013 the waters off Boracay’s famous white-sand beach will be the venue for the Asian Moth sailing championships.
A lesser known water sport in Asia (particularly in the Philippines) is the sport of rowing. For the first time in its 70+ year history, the Philippines has been chosen as the 2013 venue for the ARAE-FEARA Regatta ("Amateur Rowing Association of the East" – "Far East Amateur Rowing Association"), running from 13th to 20th of January 2013 at Paoay Lake, Laoag, Ilocos Norte. The host organization for the event is the Manila Boat Club.
Ironically, despite it relative obscurity within the current sporting landscape of the Philippines, the country’s oldest sports club is a rowing club – the Manila Boat Club. Founded in 1895, the Manila Boat Club became a distinct entity when it parted ways with the Manila Club (the de facto British club in the Philippines), at the time when the Manila Club migrated from a waterfront location in Manila City to a landlocked location. The Manila Boat Club has occupied its current facility, on the banks of the Pasig River (precisely on the Manila side of the boundary between Manila and Makati cities), since 1932.
Distinct from various other paddling sports (kayaking, dragon boat racing, canoeing), rowing is all about applying a force to a lever (the oar) around a fulcrum and using the resistance of water to propel a boat forward. As early as 1340BC (Egyptian, Amenhotep II), proficiency in rowing was recognized as a skill to be mastered for acclaim. The term "regatta" originates from 13th century Venice, where "contests" (rigatta) were held between teams and individuals rowing boats.
The modern rowing regatta, and the competitive rules that govern such events, has its history in the United Kingdom, on London’s River Thames. Boatmen, who would more ordinarily ferry passengers across the river, would engage in races for wagers offered by wealthy landowners and trading houses along the riverbank. The oldest surviving regatta of this kind is reported to be the "Doggett’s Coat and Badge", first contested in 1715.
In the Philippines, rowing was once the predominant competitive water sport of the major colleges – De La Salle, Ateneo, UP et al – but fell into decline with the introduction of martial law when students were more inclined to engage in sports no farther than on campus. Only recently has the sport of rowing come into vogue in colleges again, with local competitions organized between the Manila Boat Club and Ateneo University.
Paoay Lake is the chosen venue for the 71st ARAE-FEARA Regatta because it will mark the establishment of the first international rowing school in Asia, at the lake. With the support of the Ilocos Norte provincial government, the rowing school will aim to offer the opportunity for rowing enthusiasts from around the World to experience intensive training in the sport throughout the year. Apart from the fact that the lake offers near perfect waters for rowing, it is only a few kilometers from Laoag international airport – making it easy to reach from most countries.
Paoay Lake is a huge body of water, measuring some 470 hectares in area, and is designated a National Park because of its outstanding natural beauty and significance in the cultural heritage of the area.
To find out how to get involved in the sport of rowing in the Philippines or in the 71st ARAE-FEARA Regatta, visit the Manila Boat Club website now.
To keep up to date on other water sports around the Philippines, read the Active Boating & Watersports magazine – the Philippines’ only magazine dedicated to water sports.