Row Ontario selects Welland as site for new Ontario Performance Centre

A crew from Saint Francis Catholic Secondary School in St. Catharines, foreground, competes in the South Niagara Invitational at the Welland International Flatwater Centre's south course. BERND FRANKE / TORSTAR FILE PHOTO

By Bernd Franke
Courtesy of The Welland Tribune

Welland’s place on the provincial rowing map just got bigger, and the competition calendar at the Welland International Flatwater Centre will become fuller.

In addition to being chosen by Row Ontario as home to the new Ontario Performance Centre, as well as the new Ontario Academy of Racing, all of Row Ontario’s proprietary events will be held on the former canal.

Row Ontario executive director Andrew Backer said Welland’s bid succeeded because of the world-class training and “hosting environment” provided by the flatwater centre.

“Welland’s bid had everything we were looking for and the community has a strong history for — and the community has a strong history of — high-performance rowing,” he said.

“We truly feel that Welland is the ideal location for the Ontario Performance Centre to allow our academy athletes to train and all regatta participants to compete.”

All of the bids received by the sport’s provincial governing body were confidential, Backer said in an interview.

“However, I am comfortable saying that we approached all the facilities across Ontario that had the adequate facilities and space to meet the needs outlined in our Request for Proposals document, both on and off the water,” he said.

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