“We want to enliven the Odra river so that students’ sport would flourish here.” – said Paweł Rańda, President of the Wrocław University of Technology Students’ Sport Club, and ambassador of the competition. On Monday, he talked about the Odra River Cup at a press conference.
The regattas, planned for the weekend 24th-25th May, will be organized for the first time in a new formula. “On the first day, at 12:30 PM a parachutist will hand over The World Games flag to our University. Then, another attraction is planned: discus throw and hammer throw across the Odra. 24 athletes, including Anita Włodarczyk, Piotr Małachowski, Paweł Fajdek, and Tatiana Lysenko, will throw the discus and the hammer from a barge belayed in the Wrocław University of Technology marina to the other bank of the river, which is 68 metres wide.” – disclosed Paweł Rańda.
At about 4 PM, the 200 metres runs of dragon boats will start. “This is a bow to students who aren’t training in the rowing eights but would like to try out rowing. A dragon boat is much easier to handle, as it is wider. It carries 10 people, seated in pairs on special benches. One person rows on the left, and the other on the right. The cox minds the direction of the boat, and the drummer cheers the rowers.” – explained Paweł Rańda. He added that so far 4 teams from Wrocław universities have applied for the competition.
14 European rowing eights will take part in the main competition: RWTH Aachen Univeristy (Germany), Bremen University (Germany), St. Petersburg State Pavlov Medical Univeristy (Russia), ENSEA, Cergy (France), Belgrade University (Serbia), Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), University of Wrocław, AGH Univeristy of Science and Technology, Kraków, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, University of Warsaw, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Gdańsk University of Technology, and Warsaw University of Technology.
During the day also some extra events are planned: demonstrations of dance, rhythmic gymnastics, and martial arts, games and competitions for children, as well as presentations of our University scientific circles. Naaman and L.U.C. will play concerts.
In the evening, the traditional, 18th race for the Wrocław University of Technology Rector’s Cup between the University of Wrocław and Wrocław University of Technology teams will be held. It will start at 9 PM prompt.
The Sunday will be a picnic day. The greatest attractions include: a parade of the Dolnośląski Odra Carnival vessels and a demonstration of quadrille by the Mounted Division of the Municipal Police.
Honorary patronage of the Odra River Cup 2014 competition was taken by Bronisław Komorowski, President of the Republic of Poland and the main sponsor of the event is KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Admission is free. A detailed agenda of the event is available at the odrarivercup.pl website.
Małgorzata Jurkiewicz
Translation: Dariusz Więcławski