There has been a significant improvement in the weather forecast in Gifu, Japan where Typhoon Mawar is now expected to have a lower impact than previously thought. If the current weather forecast remains, the International Rowing Federation (FISA) has announced that racing at the 2005 World Rowing Championships may start on 29 August.
Gifu's organising committee are preparing to reset the course facilities as soon as possible to ensure that on-the-water training on the buoyed course can commence.
This will mean that heats could be raced over two days, 29 and 30 August, all repechages could be raced on 31 August, and the regatta programme would resume its original timetable as of 1 September for the last four days of semi-finals and finals. A final assessment will be made on Friday, once Typhoon Mawar has passed Gifu.
The entire infrastructure of the regatta course was removed earlier this week in expectation of high winds of up to 25 meters per second. All boats were stored in permanent facilities. If the weather stays as currently forecasted, training on the water should resume early tomorrow morning, 26 August, and the buoys should be back in the water by Saturday.
In the meantime, crews have been training on the 114 rowing ergometers which were supplied by the organising committee for these unnusual circumstances.
FISA and the organisers had prepared for difficult conditions after an unusually high number of typhoons hit Japan in the months of July and August 2004. From 2000 to 2003, only two typhoons were observed in July and two in August while last year, 2004, a total of five typhoons during July.
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