Later this month, USRowing and the rowers and coaching staff of the U.S. National Team will welcome eight members of the Iraq National Rowing Team to the United States. The Iraqi team, including six rowers and two coaches, will spend six weeks training alongside U.S. athletes in preparation for its debut at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in November.
The exchange is part of a long-term effort to re-establish the sport of rowing in Iraq and promote the spirit of the Olympic movement. The Iraqi team is scheduled to arrive in Boston, Mass., on September 22 before making stops in Princeton, N.J., home of the USRowing Training Center, and Cincinnati, Ohio. The Iraqi men's double sculls crew of Haidar Nozad and Hamzah Hussein Jebur that competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will be among the group.
"USRowing is excited to host to the Iraqi Rowing Federation," said USRowing Chief Executive Officer Glenn Merry. "This is the true spirit of Olympism -when athletes from countries who compete against each other on the greatest stage of world, the Olympic Games, can come together and train as colleagues, sharing culture and friendship.
"Recently, there has been a great deal of focus in the media on the chasm between cultures. This visit is an example of the best part of America - how athletes from different cultures can bond through sport. It represents how we share the same aspirations, the same challenges and the same field of play. USRowing is proud to be a small part in building a relationship between our nations. It is an honor to have these young men come to row with our team. I suspect all of the athletes will part with a greater appreciation for the journey each faces."
The project was initiated earlier this spring when former rower and Cincinnati attorney Bill Engeman and Bruce Smith, a U.S. National Team coach and current executive director of Boston's Community Rowing, travelled to Lake Dokan in northern Iraq to meet the Iraqi Rowing Federation. Inspired by "Invictus," the 2009 movie about Nelson Mandela and post-apartheid South Africa's rugby team, the two Americans returned to the U.S. with a plan to help the Iraqi rowing team re-establish itself.
"The rowers in Iraq are good and very interested in rowing," said Engeman. "They want to come to the United States. Now we can all meet them and help with their training for the Asian games."
"The effort to bring top Iraqi rowers to America is a wonderful initiative and a natural extension of the spirit of the Olympic Games," said 2004 Olympic gold medalist Jason Read. "These athletes share the same hopes and dreams of representing their nation on the world stage in the ultimate festival of sport. We are eager to train with the team upon their arrival."
Currently, USRowing Training Center athletes are in final selection for the squad that will compete at the 2010 World Rowing Championships in New Zealand. The presence of the Iraq team on the sidelines is sure to make this year's world championship trials, scheduled for September 27 - October 2 at Mercer Lake, an event to remember. The U.S. and Iraqi teams will be recognized in the presence of city and state officials on October 2. For more information, visit www.usrowing.org.