NOC President & Secretary-General Meet World Rowing President

NOC President & Secretary-General Meet World Rowing President
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.

Oct 7, 2025 14:16
National Olympic Committee |

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