The World Rowing Championships started today at Lake Karapiro on the Waikato River. This is the first time in 32 years that New Zealand has held this event. 50 countries have sent teams to compete during the eight days of the championships. There are more than 800 athletes. New Zealand has 55 athletes competing in various races. New Zealand is one of the strong rowing countries and will be hoping for some gold medals.

We will hear some vocabulary which is new for some of us: rowers use two oars – one in each hand – in the sculls, for example the double sculls, but one oar each in the pairs. There are races for single scull, double scull, pairs, quads (4) and eights. Some of these have a cox (short for coxswain) in the boat to steer while other races are coxless.

Lake Karapiro is 35km south-east of Hamilton. It is a beautiful lake which was formed behind a dam when a hydro-electric power station was built in 1940. It is on the Waikato River which starts at Lake Taupo.

This is a very expensive event for New Zealand to host. The organisers had to build a new tower at the finish line and a large stand for the spectators on the banks of the lake. Countries pay the airfares of their own athletes but New Zealand pays for the food, accommodation and travel each day for all teams. The cost of hosting the championships will probably be $16m but ticket sales and sponsorship may be enough to cover these costs.

Questions

Why does New Zealand want to host the rowing championships? What advantages are there for the team? Are there any advantages for the country?