On the sidelines of their visit to Switzerland, Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa, President of the National Olympic Committee of Iran, and Dr. Mahdi Alinejad, Secretary-General, met with Jean-Christophe Rolland, President of World Rowing.
Iran NOC; Tehran: Khosravi Vafa
congratulated World Rowing President on his re-election, praising his
leadership and long-standing trust within the global rowing community. He noted
that Rowing, long operating under the Canoeing Federation in Iran, recently
became an independent federation under interim leadership of a national
champion, with elections scheduled soon. “The NOC views Rowing as an important
and medal-winning sport for both men and women, and our approach toward it is
fully supportive,” he said.
Jean-Christophe Rolland welcomed
the formation of an independent Rowing federation in Iran, calling it “a
correct and forward-looking decision.” He emphasized the importance of
establishing the federation’s statutes based on international regulations and
governance principles, and encouraged Iran to focus on youth development and
grassroots training. He also noted that while global resources are limited,
World Rowing will provide technical support to help the new federation grow. He
highlighted the federation’s three main branches – Olympic Rowing, Coastal Rowing
(to be featured in the Los Angeles 2028 Games), and indoor/virtual Rowing
(E-Sport) – and shared that World Rowing is in talks with the IOC to include Indoor
Rowing in the first Olympic Esports Games, enabling global participation at low
cost.
Dr. Alinejad, the NOC Secretary-General
expressed appreciation for World Rowing President’s leadership and underlined
Iran’s intention to strengthen cooperation. He noted that while the Ministry of
Sport and NOC Iran will continue supporting the federation, international
collaboration—especially joint training camps and technical exchanges—will be
crucial for progress. He added that the NOC Iran has already allocated an
Olympic Solidarity scholarship to a qualified Iranian rower, and another Asian
scholarship to a female athlete in the sport. “We hope World Rowing will
continue to extend its technical and moral support to this new federation as it
develops its foundation,” Alinejad added.