A fast-growing petition posted on change.org is asking USRowing to put its energies towards working with FISA, world rowing's international governing body, to reinstate the Men's Lightweight Eight, which has been scheduled for permanent removal from the World Championships program beginning with the 2016 Worlds in Rotterdam.
The petition, which has gathered almost 2000 signatures since it was posted on January 1, 2016, asks USRowing to support an initiative undertaken by the German rowing federation to appeal to FISA to maintain the Men's Lightweight Eight at the 2016 World Championships under Article 32 of the FISA Statutes, which governs "Reconsideration and Confirmation of decisions of Council or the Executive Committee."
Under Article 32, FISA could reverse its decision to eliminate the Men's Lightweight Eight, and then formally debate the continuation or removal of the event at the FISA Congress in early 2017.
The petition, started by Community Rowing (Boston) coach Karl Harshe, has been signed by a wide cross-section of athletes, including US Olympians, international lightweight rowers from Australia, Germany, Denmark, Canada, France, as well as juniors, collegiate, and masters rowers.
As row2k has reported previously, the Men's Lightweight Eight has been on, and escaped the chopping block once before; FISA removed the event after the 2004 World Championships, then reinstated it for the 2005 World Championships in Gifu (JPN) following a member vote at the 2005 FISA Extraordinary congress, in which of 72% of delegates voted in favor of a proposal by Rowing Australia to revive the event. The event was then reinstated.
Other events that have been removed from the World Championships program however, such as the Women's Lightweight Pair and the Open Men's Coxed Four, have not been added back to the program in subsequent years.