Putting Saudi Rowing on the Map

If you happen to be visiting the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, look out for a brand-new object on display – a pair of sculling blades, slightly used, in the bright green of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Back in July 2021 in Tokyo, Husein Alireza became the first Saudi rower to compete at an Olympic Games, reaching the quarterfinals and finishing a creditable 24th overall in the Men’s Single Sculls. In recognition of those achievements, the Olympic Museum asked for the blades to be displayed and also inducted Alireza into the museum. He is the first Saudi athlete to receive that honour.

The moment comes amid serious efforts, led by Alireza and his father Ali Alireza, to build Saudi rowing into a position of strength. When Alireza began rowing in 2016 at university in Cambridge, UK, the sport was unheard of back in his home country.

Now, just over six years on, Saudi rowing was ranked joint first out of all 97 federations associated with the Saudi Olympic Committee in a recent evaluation assessing technical ability, sustainability and professionalism.

“That was a huge moment for us. Not only are we new but we’re doing it properly,” said Alireza.

In mid-January 2023 190 men and women took part in the third Saudi indoor rowing championships. There are 11 full-time male and female athletes training on the water under the watchful eyes of former British rower Matthew Tarrant and British coaching veteran Bill Barry, who accompanied Alireza to Tokyo, as well as a bigger squad hoping to make it to the full-time programme.

The team are currently training from a rented villa in Jeddah while a new boathouse is constructed, alongside a 2km-stretch of flat water.

“We have a few really good athletes up and coming on the water, but until the boathouse is finished it’s difficult to get everyone on the water at the same time,” Alireza explained.

The squad is targeting success at the Asian Games in China in September, with as much racing as possible before then at international and domestic level – for example in the UK.

“A lot of them have started relatively recently, so we’re just trying to get them as much experience as possible. Obviously Olympic qualification in Paris would be the dream for a crew,” Alireza said.

In his speech at the donation ceremony at the Olympic Museum Alireza thanked his father for his support in his own career and the development of Saudi rowing, and he said that had made the experience particularly special.

“It’s myself and my father on this journey together and our ultimate goal is to build a very strong foundation for this sport in the future,” he added. “We’re growing the sport in a country without rivers or lakes. It’s sort of like the Jamaican bobsleigh thing.”

Alireza describes donating his oars as “an incredible honour”, adding: “Those oars have had my blood, sweat, and tears on the handles throughout the years.”

As well as crediting his father, Alireza dedicated the moment to his mother.

“I’m particularly happy because I feel the legacy of my late mother, Salma Dajani, will live on forever, and that means the world to me. This was her journey just as much as it was mine.”