Plovdiv is set to stage the combined 2027 World Rowing Under-19 and Under-23 Championships, and the Bulgarian venue is expected to welcome more than 1,000 athletes from over 60 nations.
The overlapping five-day regattas will be held at the Plovdiv Rowing Canal. The Under-19 competition runs from 27–31 July, while the Under-23 championships begin on 28 July and conclude on 1 August.
World Rowing made the announcement during the Nations Dinner at the 2026 World Rowing Under-19 Championships, which are already taking place on the same course. This year’s regatta has brought 660 athletes from 55 nations to Plovdiv.
“Bringing together the Under 19 and Under 23 Championships creates a unique celebration of rowing’s future,” World Rowing president and International Olympic Committee member Jean-Christophe Rolland said. “More than 1,000 athletes from over 60 nations will come to Plovdiv next summer, and many of them will one day become Olympic and World Champions.”
Montreal Medallists Honoured
The announcement coincided with a ceremony for nine Bulgarian Olympic medallists from Montreal 1976, marking 50 years since women’s rowing entered the Olympic programme.
Bulgaria claimed two of the six inaugural women’s Olympic titles. Svetla Otsetova and Zdravka Yordanova won the double sculls, while Siyka Kelbecheva and Stoyanka Gruycheva took gold in the pair. The country also earned silver in the women’s coxed four.
Otsetova and Yordanova’s victory delivered Bulgaria’s first Olympic rowing medal. Their double established an early advantage in a headwind and held its challengers off across the 1,000-metre course used for women’s racing in Montreal.
“It is meaningful to announce this event during a celebration of the women whose achievements helped define Bulgarian rowing,” Rolland said. “Their success inspired generations of athletes, and today their legacy lives on through a venue that continues to welcome the world’s best rowers.”
The Plovdiv Rowing Canal
Otsetova’s connection to Plovdiv extends beyond her Olympic title. She worked with architect Valentine Marinov on the design of the city’s 2,300-metre canal, which runs east to west with the prevailing winds and is bordered by natural forest.
The course has since become a regular stop on the international calendar, staging senior World Championships, World Cups, age-group championships and European Championships. The 2027 programme will retain the standard 2,000-metre racing distance for both age groups.
“Plovdiv has become a home for international rowing, and we are honoured by the confidence World Rowing has placed in our team,” organising committee chairman Ivan Popov said.
The Under-19 and Under-23 fields will share the venue for four competition days before the older category closes the double championship on 1 August.
