After a nervous stretch involving obstructive water plants and a poor bed, the Bosbaan in the Amsterdamse Bos is ready for the World Rowing Championships. The event starts next Monday.
Around 40,000 spectators are expected across the week, and the site now has a large marquee and a substantial stage alongside the course.
A Year of Work on the Course
The channel was dredged, the houses along the bank were refurbished, and the boathouse was restored to its original state.
Former rower and tournament director Nico Rienks says the benefit outlasts the championship. “All the Amsterdam rowing clubs will be able to use these beautifully refurbished facilities,” he says.
The Algae Did Not Win
The buoys were the visible test, and they came out clean. “There are beautiful straight lines in the course, and normally the buoys are already fouled,” Rienks says.
Team NL’s boats are hanging in the renovated boathouse waiting for the start. Rienks believes the Dutch team is good for at least three golds, though he is candid about the range.
“But it could also be zero or six.”
He has a personal stake as well. Two of his sons are competing for medals next week.
“My heart rate is going to be twenty times higher than at rest.”
