Rowing cost unknown

Press, 7 November 1978, Page 34

Rowing cost unknown

Although a record crowd approaching 100,000 attended the four racing days of the world rowing championships at Lake Karapiro noaody can say for sure that they will make money. In fact, the chairman of the organising committee, Mr Don Row lands, says that it may take a month before the full figures are known.

“We’ve spent a hell of a lot of money in the last few weeks and things have been so hectic that we haven’t had a chance to add up the bills yet,” said Mr Rowlands. Even before the mammoth 34,000 crowd on men’s finals day, thought, Mr Rowlands was prepared to say that they had “a chance to break even” and those figures on Sunday should surely assure a handsome enough profit. Mr Rowlands, president of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association since 1971 and a-former long-serving national selector, has probably done more for his sport than any administrator in the country.

On the strength of his immense contribution to the success of the world championships alone he has been widely tipped for a knighthood, and the aftermath of the 1974 Commonwealth Games would seem to indicate that this is a certainty. Undoubtedly his efforts have been at least as great as those of Sir Ronald Scott ior the Christchurch Games: some would say considerably greater. The 52-year-old Auckland company director, who spent more than 50 consecutive week-ends on the lake preparing for the championships, broke his arm there a few weeks ago but has worked on undeterred.