The 2026 Australian & Oceania Beach Sprints Rowing Championships (AOBSC) promises to be an exciting four days of competition, with some of the best coastal rowers from across Australia and the Oceania region descending on the sands of the Gold Coast from 3-6 September.
With over 190 entries across 24 events, spanning underage, open and masters categories, this year's Championships will bring a jam-packed program of racing, highlighting the excitement and growth of this discipline, as well as the strength of the sport across the wider Oceania region. Rowing Australia is thrilled to partner with Experience Gold Coast for the Championships, allowing us to showcase the event in one of Australia’s most iconic destinations, boasting 70km of stunning coastline.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate expressed his excitement in hosting the Championships, “Hosting world class major events is in our city’s DNA.”
“Securing the Australian and Oceania Beach Sprints Rowing Championships is a huge coup. This high adrenaline carnival has attracted the best competitors across Australia, with many eyeing off the LA2028 Olympics where beach sprint will feature on the main program.
“I urge all Gold Coasters to make a date with North Kirra and Currumbin Creek and get behind some of the fittest ocean racing athletes in the world. Go the Gold Coasters.’’
A minimum of five event disciplines will be conducted every day, starting from Thursday 3 September, with the full event schedule available on the Rowing Manager event page.
Featured amongst the 190-strong entries are Catherine Khan, Isabella Scammell and Oscar Scheel-Gamborg, who all represented Australia in June this year at the Filippi Lido Beach Sprint Finals and bring plenty of experience to the event.
Rowing Australia is grateful to Principal Partner Hancock Prospecting and Rowing Australia Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO for their enduring support of the RA High Performance program, helping develop our flatwater and coastal rowing athletes to compete and excel on the international stage.
Rowing Australia also acknowledges the vital support of the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Government and Commonwealth Games Australia.
Joining the Australian entrants is a suite of international athletes and crews from New Zealand, French Polynesia, Vanuatu, Samoa and American Samoa. The inclusion of these crews from the Oceania region adds further depth to the high-quality fields that will be competing across the AOBSC.
Rowing Australia CEO Sarah Cook OLY shared her excitement ahead of the AOBSC in 2026:
"It’s fantastic to have the 2026 Australian and Oceania Beach Sprints Rowing Championships hosted on the iconic shores of the Gold Coast. This event not only provides an opportunity for athletes to showcase their speed and skill in the Beach Sprints format, it also connects our sport with the community in a unique festival environment.
"Having crews compete from across the Oceania region is another highlight. It speaks to the growth of the format across the region, and we're thrilled to watch these athletes compete against our Australian crews as we look at the road ahead to the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in China this year, the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in November, and to Beach Sprints’ Olympic debut in LA 2028.
Prior to the AOBSC, an Oceania Training Camp will be held on the Gold Coast from 31 August – 2 September. The camp, which is targeted at young up-and-coming athletes identified across the Oceania region, will provide invaluable training, experiences and support to athletes as they develop their skills in the Beach Sprints discipline.
Cook is thrilled to have the Oceania Training Camp hosted on the Gold Coast, stating: "The Oceania Training Camp is a brilliant initiative that will provide world class training and expertise to the next generation of rowers in the Oceania region. I’d like to acknowledge World Rowing, who have worked in conjunction with Olympic Solidarity, the Oceania Rowing Confederation (ORCON) and Rowing Australia staff to deliver the training camp.
Additionally, our sincere thanks goes to the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, PacificAus Sports and the Australian Olympic Committee for their support through funding this program. It is great to see young athletes from across Oceania being given quality training and education in the sport of rowing, through a discipline which is highly accessible, and building the pathway and supporting growth for the next generation."
Coinciding with the AOBSC will be the Australian trials for the Youth Olympic Games, to be held in Dakar, Senegal from 31 October this year, giving the country's rising beach sprints stars a shot at selection on the international stage.
The event will also double as trials for the Rowsellas Beach Sprint Team, who will represent Australia at the 2026 World Rowing Beach Sprints Finals in Qingdao, China, from 18–21 October. For athletes with their sights set on Qingdao, every race across the four days will count.
Rowing Australia's Beach Sprint Head Coach, James Loveday, is excited to see the current and next generation of Beach Sprint rowers competing in the event:
“The Australian & Oceania Beach Sprints Championships serve as a great opportunity to build this event for a variety of competitors - those competing for the first time, through to those seeking selection in the Rowsellas Beach Sprint Team.
“I am excited to see our senior athletes who have been involved in international events through June and July bring their learnings back to Australia. We also get the opportunity to watch a group of Under 18 rowers compete for a spot on our Youth Olympic Games team, which will be decided on a first past the post selection. Overall, it’s going to be an exciting event with all to play for!”
What is Beach Sprint Rowing?
Beach Sprint rowing – making it’s debut as an Olympic discipline at the 2028 Los Angeles Games -is a fast-paced rowing format that combines many of the skills of flatwater rowing with the task of navigating ever-changing conditions on the coastline, making for an exhilarating new format. Athletes will be tested on their ability to adapt to conditions alongside their physical abilities.
The knockout, head-to-head format consists of a run sprint across the sand to your boat, a 250m slalom row through the coastal water, navigating around the top marker buoy, then a 180-degree turn back to the beach and a final sprint across the sand to the buzzer in an elimination format.
2026 Australian & Oceania Beach Sprints Rowing Championships Event Information
Dates: 3 – 6 September 2026
Venues: North Kirra Beach (Thursday 3rd September), Currumbin Creek (Friday 4th - Sunday 6th September).
Event Schedule, Draw and Results: The event schedule, draw and results can be found here
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