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British Rowing is working in partnership with organisations including UK Sport, Sport England, sportscotland and Scottish Rowing, as well as key university and club partners from across the UK, to help establish the GB Olympic Beach Sprint programme for success in LA and beyond.

With the Beach Sprint discipline now on the Olympic programme for LA 2028 and the Youth Olympic Games next year in Dakar, British Rowing has secured significant investment and agreed important partnerships to ensure the Beach Sprint Olympic programme and the pathway are set up for success.

Great Britain is working to create a Beach Sprint team capable of building on its successes to date within this emerging discipline. These include 10 medals across the 2023 and 2024 editions of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Senior and Under 19 boats. Beach Sprints provides a fantastic new opportunity for the sport, offering an exciting alternative format for existing rowers, as well as increasing rowing’s appeal to new audiences and opening up opportunities to develop talent from communities all around the UK coastline.

GB Olympic Beach Sprint Programme

Running since late April 2025, a small group of UK Sport / National Lottery funded athletes have been working full time under the guidance of the recently appointed Olympic Head Coach for Beach Sprints, Tom Pattichis. The group has been training across a variety of locations including the National Training Centre at Caversham and at several domestic and international training camps. They have also benefitted from the establishment of two new partner ‘Beach Sprint Olympic Training Venues’ at St Andrews (in partnership with the University of St Andrews and Scottish Rowing) and Bournemouth (in partnership with Bournemouth University).

GB Beach Sprint Performance Development Academies

Designed to offer professional coaching, equipment and other services to support athletes on the Olympic Beach Sprint Pathway, British Rowing has established three Beach Sprint specific Performance Development Academy (PDA) sites. There are two in England, funded through Sport England and Backing the Best / Sports Aid, and one in Scotland, funded through the University of St Andrews and Scottish Rowing / sportscotland. The sites are each supported by established rowing clubs in their local areas.

Based in Studland Bay and Bournemouth, the South Coast Performance Development Academy is in partnership with Christchurch RC, Poole ARC, Lymington ARC, Shanklin and Sandown RC, Southsea RC and Bournemouth University. The North East Performance Development Academy is based in South Shields and is in partnership with Tynemouth ARC, Tyne ARC, Tees RC, Hexham RC, Cambois RC, Chester-le-Street ARC and South Shields Sailing Club. Finally, the University of St Andrews Performance Development Academy, is based at one of the UK’s leading Universities, in partnership with Scottish Rowing.

Coastal Sculling Academies

British Rowing is also committed to the wider growth of the Coastal Sculling format at a community level and will continue to work with a network that includes the Rowing Centre UK, Swift Racing, Scottish Rowing and Welsh Rowing to broaden the base of Coastal Sculling participation in the UK.

Tom Pattichis, GBRT Beach Sprint Olympic Head Coach said: “Thanks to all our partners for their funding and support in getting the Beach Sprint programme off the ground. The aim of the Performance Development Academies is to help us identify a new and diverse group of athletes with longer-term potential in the Beach Sprint format. The current team, based out of Caversham and at our partner Beach Sprint Olympic training venues, are looking more closely at making history as the first to compete and hopefully win medals for Great Britain in Beach Sprints at the 2028 Olympic Games in LA. We are looking forward to working with our partners and developing a successful programme for LA and beyond."

Beach Sprints and Scotland

While talking specifically on the role Scotland has to play, Tom Pattichis added: "We’re excited to continue developing our partnership with Scottish Rowing and the University of St Andrews, to build on the work we’ve done to date in developing the GB Beach Sprint programme. Scottish athletes make up a significant proportion of both our Performance and Pathway Beach Sprint programmes, and we’re looking forward to working with partners in Scotland to continue supporting those athletes as they work towards LA2028 and beyond."

Lee Boucher, CEO of Scottish Rowing said: “We’re proud to be working in partnership with the University of St Andrews and British Rowing to establish this exciting new Olympic training venue for Beach Sprint rowing in Scotland. St Andrews offers world-class coastal conditions and a truly iconic setting, and this recognition marks a major step forward in the development of Beach Sprint rowing nationally and internationally. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to inspire new athletes, raise the profile of coastal sculling, and put Scotland at the heart of one of the sport’s fastest-growing disciplines.”