Date and Venue: 

Malta Rowing Association is pleased to announce the 2021 Malta National Indoor Rowing Championships which will be held on Saturday 20th November 2021. COVID-19 restrictions permitting, the Championships will be held at the Ta’ Kandia Sports Complex. In the event that the Championships will have to be held virtually, arrangements are in place to run the races using the RaceErg application which can run with any Concept2-PM5 rowing ergometer. The first race is scheduled to start at around 9:30AM.

In accordance with World Rowing rules, under normal circumstances (not this time), “Lightweight rowers shall be weighed wearing only their racing uniform on tested scales not less than one hour and not more than two hours before their first race of each lightweight event in which they are competing, each day of the competition.” This means that participants entering as ‘Lightweight’ must weigh-in on the day of their race at the Venue between 1-2 hours before the scheduled time of their first race. However, for 2021, this rule is being slightly relaxed to read: Lightweights must weigh-in within 24 hours of the scheduled time of their first race. They should present a valid identification document (passport, national identity card or driving license). If the event is held virtually, the applicants need to send a picture of themselves on a weighing scale to indoor.regatta@gmail.com taken next to a copy of a newspaper dated 19th or 20th November 2021.

Holders of Maltese passports who are registered with the Association as a Rower or Athlete and win in the full 2000m length will be given the right to represent Malta in international events that the Association may be invited to participate in, provided that, in the case of on-water events, the rowers can provide evidence that they are competent to take part in that specific on-water event.

Note that in addition to the official 2000m, 1000m and 500m races, there will also be a timed fun-race of 1 minute duration for athletes aged 12 and under (i.e. those born in 2009 or before). All participants in this event will be given a commemorative token.

Schedule:

The schedule will be uploaded here and communicated to all athletes via email.

Registrations:

• All participants should register Online (Closing date: Sat 13-Nov-2021, 8.00 pm).
• Note that  if you are registered as rower (qaddief) with one of the Malta Rowing/Regatta Clubs (i.e. Birgu, Birzebbugia, Bormla, Isla, Kalkara, Marsa, Marsamxett, Siggiewi, University of Malta Club) lower fees apply.

Eligibility:

1. The event is open to everybody. However, for each individual event, ranking will be made under two categories based on nationality as detailed below.
2. Athletes, ranked together irrespective of nationality, who place 1st, 2nd and 3rd in any 2000m, 1000m and 500m race category will be awarded a medal. See separate note on awards and rankings based on nationality.
3. Holders of Maltese passports who win the Open Categories in the full 2000m length will be declared as the Maltese National Champions and given the right to represent Malta in international events that the Association will be invited to participate in, provided that, in the case of on-water events, the rowers can provide evidence that they are competent to take part in that specific on-water event.
4. As from 2017, the Championships also included the Para/Adaptive Categories. If you intend to participate in such a category, please email us on regatta.malta@gmail.com with a cc to the Malta Paralympic Committee (maltaparacom@gmail.com) urgently.
5. For further information, please contact the organisers via email at: regatta.malta@gmail.com

Entry Fees:

The following nominal fees are being requested per race:

• Participants aged less than 19 Years of age on the 31st December of the year of the Championships: €5 (maximum fee to be paid is €10, if taking part in more than 2 races);
• Rowers / Athletes Registered with Malta Rowing Association (Ghaqda Regatta Nazzjonali u Qdif Iehor): €5 (maximum fee to be paid is €10 if taking part in more than 2 races);
• Others: €15 (maximum fee to be paid is €30 if taking part in more than 2 races).

Championship Rules:

By entering the competition, a competitor agrees to be bound by the following rules:

1. Concept 2 Indoor Rowers will be used.
2. Competitors of any age, gender, etc. may participate in as many races as they wish, but can only row any specific distance once. There will be ‘individual’ races of the following lengths:
   1. 2000m (Open age Category only, with sub-divisions of Male/Female, LW/HW, including Para/Adaptive);
   2. 1000m (With age categories as specified below, with sub-divisions of Male/Female, LW/HW, including Para/Adaptive);
   3. 500m (With age categories as specified below, with sub-divisions of Male/Female, LW/HW, including Para/Adaptive);
3. The 2000m, 1000m and 500m individual races are open to the Para/Adaptive athletes. If you intend to participate in such a category, please email regatta.malta@gmail.com and maltaparacom@gmail.com so that we can ascertain that you qualify to take part in a para/adaptive category and be classified accordingly.
4. There is no need to be a registered rower with one of the Regatta/Rowing Clubs affiliated with Malta Rowing Association (Ghaqda Regatta Nazzjonali u Qdif Iehor) to take part. Nevertheless, if you with to take up rowing on a more long term basis, you are encouraged to get in touch with one of our affiliated clubs.
5. Rowers registered with Clubs affiliated with Malta Rowing Association (Ghaqda Regatta Nazzjonali u Qdif Iehor) are required to participate in the name of their Regatta/Rowing Club they are registered with and may benefit from a reduced application fee.
6. Competitors may use the “drag factor” setting of their choice, but this cannot be changed during the race.
7. Details of individual race categories are listed below.
8. All races are considered as “finals”. The times from the races will be ranked to give an overall listing for the eligible categories.
9. Competitors in the 1000m and 500m will automatically be entered in the age categories they qualify for. Separate races will NOT be held and there is no additional cost to be paid.
10. In the event of an equipment failure, competitors may, at the discretion of the organisers, be given the opportunity to compete in another race and still be eligible for a prize.
11. A provisional schedule will be emailed to all competitors and placed on the event website by the Wednesday (8:00pm) before the competition. Any mistakes should be notified as soon as possible but not later than 48 hours BEFORE the scheduled start time of the race.
12. Malta Rowing enforces a stringent Anti-Doping Policy that adheres to guidelines recommended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), World Rowing and the National Antidoping Organisation (NADO) who may perform tests on competitors. This is because we believe that our rowers have the right to compete with the peace of mind that they know that they, and their competitors, are clean. The use of performance-enhancing drugs and doping activity severely damages the legacy of sport and undermines the integrity of true athletes. Further details may be obtained from https://maltarowing.com/antidoping/ or from here. Note that those who are registered with the Association as a Rower or Athlete may be tested at any time during their registration period in accordance with LN 17(2015) of the Laws of Malta.

Further details on Individual Ranking Categories:

Rankings based on Nationality:

Ranking will be made under two categories, based on nationality, where:

1. The “Malta National Indoor Rowing Championships” will be a ranking based on all athletes;
2. The “Malta National Indoor Rowing Championships (Maltese Participants Only)” will be a ranking for athletes holding a Maltese Passport Only.

Note that the separate rankings for Maltese participants only will be published only if there are at lest two participants having different nationalities, one of which is Maltese. Awards will be given as follows:

(1) Athletes, ranked together irrespective of nationality, who place 1st, 2nd and 3rd in any 2000m, 1000m and 500m race category will be awarded a medal. The athletes who rank 1st, 2nd or 3rd in these rankings have the right to request an electronic certificate which certifies their rankings.

(2) In the event that a non-Maltese national wins an open-age category, an additional medal will be awarded to the Maltese athlete who obtains the best time time amongst the Maltese nationals in the 2000m, 1000m and 500m races.

(3) For all races having Maltese and non-Maltese competitors, a full separate ranking based only on Maltese nationals will be published online after the Championships. The Maltese athletes who rank 1st, 2nd or 3rd in these rankings have the right to request an electronic certificate which certifies their rankings amongst the other Maltese nationals.

Ranking based on Gender: 

In each of the categories mentioned below, male and female rowers will be ranked separately.

Ranking based on Weight:

There will be separate rankings for lightweight (LW) rowers for athletes ages 16+. To qualify as LW, a male must weigh 75kg or less (LW-M) whilst females must weigh 61.5kg or less (LW-F). For 2021, Lightweights must weigh-in within 24 hours of the scheduled time of their first race. They should present a valid identification document (passport, national identity card or driving license). If the event is held virtually, the applicants need to send a picture of themselves on a weighing scale to indoor.regatta@gmail.com taken next to a copy of a newspaper dated 19th or 20th November 2021. Competitors who do not make their weight by their scheduled start time will not be able to compete as ‘lightweight’. Note that competition in the LW category requires an individual to be aged 16+. Athletes under the age of 16 will be included with the rankings of the ‘open weight’.Rankings based on Age Categories:

There will be separate ranking and medals based on the age of the participants, as follows:

(a) Open Age Categories: Applicable for the 500m, 1000m and 2000m. Medals will be awarded to those placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Female (F), Male (M), LW-F and LW-M categories. All participants will be placed in one of these four categories.

(b) Junior Age Categories: Applicable for the 500m and 1000m races only. Medals will be awarded to those placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Female (F) and Male (M) categories. All junior competitors who have not yet reached their 16th birthday must be accompanied by a responsible adult. All participants applying for 500m and 1000m events born between 2003 and 2010 will be placed in one of these categories:

U12 – born in 2009 and 2010 (subdivided in F, M)
U14 – born in 2007 and 2008 (subdivided in F, M)
U16 – born in 2005 and 2006 (subdivided in F, M)
U18 – born in 2003 and 2004 (subdivided in F, M, LW-F, LW-M)

In addition to the official races, there will also be a timed fun-race of 1 minute duration for athletes aged 12 and under (i.e. those born in 2009 or before). All participants in this event will be given a commemorative token.

(c) Masters Age Categories: Applicable for the 500m and 1000m races only for adults who have reached their 30th birthday by the day before the competition. Separate rankings and medals will be awarded to those placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Female (F), Male (M), Light-Weight Female (LW-F) and Light-Weight Male (LW-M) categories. Further sub-categories for Masters will be as follows: 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-70, 70+ These are based on the competitor’s age on the day before the Championship.  For example, a competitor whose 40th birthday is on the day before the Championship would compete in 40-49 category. For international record purposes, the 30+ age group may be further split into other sub-categories.

Para/Adaptive Rankings:

As is customary, the Malta National Indoor Rowing Championships include events in the Para/Adaptive Categories and since the setting up of the Malta Paralympic Committee (MPC), Malta Rowing Association and MPC have worked together to ensure that these events run in accordance with accepted international standards and protocols. If you intend to participate in a para/adaptive category, please email Malta Rowing Association on regatta.malta@gmail.com and the Malta Paralympic Committee on maltaparacom@gmail.com. The classification system adopted for the Malta National Indoor Rowing Championships is as explained on the Concept2 website https://www.concept2.com/adaptive-rowing/adaptive-classifications an will be only valid in Malta for the duration of these specific champions. Athletes seeking international classification are to contact the Malta Paralympic Committee for assistance and guidance well ahead of any international event. Any athlete who applies and qualifies as a ‘para/adaptive’ athlete in a particular class in accordance with the criteria on https://www.concept2.com/adaptive-rowing/adaptive-classifications will be ranked and medalled separately.

Note: 

The 2021 Championships will be building on the success of the earlier National Indoor Rowing Championships organised in 2015, 2016, 2017 2018 and 2019 by the Malta Rowing Association (Ghaqda Regatta Nazzjonali u Qdif Iehor). The 2021 event is being organised in collaboration with SportMalta. The Malta Indoor Rowing banner/logo is the work of art of Jean Paul Grech and cannot be used by third parties without consent. His other work can be found here. No Championships were held in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.