Virtus Rowing: Building a Legacy, Shaping the Future
From a developing sport to an expanding international programme, Virtus Rowing has quickly become one of the organisation’s most exciting success stories. As Virtus celebrates 40 years, rowing continues to create new opportunities for athletes with an intellectual disability to compete and thrive on the international stage.
Whether on open water or an indoor rowing machine, rowing demands strength, endurance, discipline and teamwork. Through both formats, Virtus has built an inclusive programme that enables athletes to develop their skills and compete on the international stage.
The sport is led by the Virtus Rowing Committee, while all competitions are conducted under World Rowing regulations with approved Virtus adaptations where appropriate.
Virtus is responsible for the eligibility of all athletes wishing to compete internationally, ensuring fair and credible competition for athletes with an intellectual impairment.
From One Championship to a Growing International Calendar
The story of Virtus Rowing at international level began in 2009, when Hong Kong welcomed athletes to the first Virtus World Rowing Championships.
Since then, the programme has continued to expand, with two Outdoor World Championships and four Indoor World Championships providing athletes with opportunities to compete internationally and showcase their talent.
The sport has also become an established part of the Virtus Global Games. Indoor rowing first featured at Liberec 2009 in the Czech Republic, followed by outdoor rowing at Liguria 2011 in Italy. Since Brisbane 2019, both disciplines have been included together, creating a complete rowing programme and offering year-round competition opportunities for athletes with different strengths.
The programme has also grown through greater inclusion. Following extensive research and development, the II2 class for athletes with an intellectual disability and significant additional impairments became a full medal event at the Brisbane 2019 Global Games, while the II3 class for athletes with autism was introduced as a full medal event at the 2023 Virtus Global Games in Vichy, France.
The continued development of Virtus Rowing has been driven not only by Virtus competitions but also through growing international collaboration.
World Rowing introduced the PR3-II category for intellectually impaired athletes at the 2021 World Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships and it has been part of their annual Virtus Rowing championship ever since.
In 2026, World Rowing, Virtus and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) agreed to strengthen their relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding following strategic discussions in Lausanne. The partnership focuses on creating more inclusive high-performance rowing pathways for athletes with an intellectual impairment while promoting athlete wellbeing, good governance and fair competition.
This collaboration represents another important step in strengthening the sport and creating greater opportunities for future generations.
Over the years, Virtus Rowing has become a platform for athletes to demonstrate their ability on the international stage while inspiring others to follow.
In the II1 category, athletes including Bronte Marshall (AUS), Russell Macintyre (AUS), Marta Casetta (ITA), Damien Nicolas (FRA), Francesco Di Donato (ITA), Xavier Manobando (ECU), Suyeon Lee (KOR), Seongrim Choe (KOR), Julia Story (AUS) and Balázs Tóth (HUN) have helped shape the history of the sport through their outstanding performances.
In the II2 category, Andrea Appendino (ITA), Ines Arregui (FRA), Marta Casetta (ITA), Andréa Appendino (ITA), Dylan Lorec Berjuin (FRA) and Florent Coqueugniot (FRA) have become leading competitors, while Apolline Mongin (FRA) and Lorenzo Mazzoletti (ITA) continue to make their mark in the II3 category.
Looking Ahead
Virtus Rowing has quickly established itself as a growing international sport, with World Championships, Global Games competition and expanding partnerships creating new opportunities for athletes with an intellectual disability.
As Virtus marks 40 years of inclusion through sport, rowing reflects that spirit of progress – opening new pathways, reaching more athletes and building a stronger international future. Its continued development is powered by the dedication of athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, member organisations and the Virtus Rowing Committee.
With participation growing and new opportunities emerging, Virtus Rowing is showing that athletes with an intellectual disability can compete and succeed at the highest levels of international sport.
If you know someone with an intellectual disability or autism who would like to compete in the Virtus Rowing programme, encourage them to contact their national Virtus member organisation, apply for eligibility and begin their journey towards international competition – including the Virtus Global Games Cairo 2027.
