BTA: Plovdiv to Host 2027 World Rowing U19 and U23 Championships

Plovdiv has been awarded hosting rights for the 2027 World Rowing Under 19 and Under 23 Championships. The announcement was made on Sunday by World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland during the Nations Dinner held in the southern Bulgarian city as part of the ongoing 2026 World Rowing Under 19 Championships.

Renowned former and current Bulgarian rowers received accolades during the event. These included Olympic champions Svetla Otsétova and Zdravka Yordanova (double sculls), Stoyanka Gruycheva and Siyka Kelbecheva-Barbalova (coxless pairs), as well as the Olympic silver medallists in the coxed four Maria Modeva, Reni Yordanova-Plachkova, Lilyana Vaseva, Ginka Gyurova and coxswain Kapka Yordanova.

President Rolland said the achievements of these women helped shape Bulgarian rowing history. Their accomplishments inspired generations of athletes, and today their legacy continues to live on at a venue that still welcomes the world's best rowers, he said.

He spoke highly of Plovdiv as a host of international competitions, noting that the city has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to organize events at the highest level. According to Rolland, athletes know the course as one of the fairest and best-prepared in the world, while teams and spectators can count on organization of the highest standard.

Bringing together the World Championships for under-19 and under-23 rowers turns the event into a unique celebration of the future of rowing, Rolland said. He noted that more than 1,000 competitors from over 60 countries will arrive in Plovdiv next summer.

Ivan Popov, chairman of the organizing committee for rowing events in Plovdiv, described the news as a source of pride for Bulgarian sport. "As we pay tribute to the athletes who helped our country earn its place in the Olympic history of rowing, we look to the future and the next generation of champions with no less pride," Popov said.

He stressed that Plovdiv has established itself as one of the homes of international rowing, adding that World Rowing's confidence in the city is recognition of the work of the organizers, volunteers and the entire rowing community.

The two World Championships in 2027 will be held as two partially overlapping five-day regattas. The Under-19 Championships will take place from July 27 to 31, while the Under-23 Championships will run from July 28 to August 1.

Hosting the two World Championships will add to Plovdiv's rich history of staging major international rowing competitions. By 2027, the city will have hosted a total of 12 regattas under the auspices of World Rowing.