The Australian Rowing Team (ART) was honoured to host Rowing Australia Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO at the European Training Centre (ETC) in Gavirate, Italy earlier this month in a special visit where Mrs Rinehart shared her time with the athletes and extended her support ahead of the 2026 World Rowing Championships.
Mrs Rinehart met with the Men's team and Para rowing athletes currently training at the ETC. Having Mrs Rinehart share her time with the Rowsellas at the ETC reflected the genuine care and support she continues to provide Australia's High Performance rowing program and athletes representing the nation.
The visit underscored the profound impact of the unwavering support that Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting has provided Rowing Australia and the Australian Rowing Teams for more than a decade, helping our current and next generation of athletes pursue excellence on the world stage.
Rowing Australia CEO Sarah Cook said the visit reflected the depth of Mrs Rinehart's ongoing commitment to the team as it enters the final stretch of preparation for Amsterdam.
“Winning on the world stage requires exceptional athletes, outstanding coaches and the support of people who genuinely believe in Australian sporting excellence. Mrs Gina Rinehart AO and Hancock Prospecting have been instrumental in creating an environment where our athletes can pursue that ambition every day. As we prepare for the World Championships, it means a great deal to welcome our Patron, Mrs Rinehart, into our environment. Her unwavering commitment to our athletes, and her desire to see Australia standing on the podium, inspires everyone in the program to strive for excellence.”
The Rowsellas were honoured to celebrate this decade-long partnership with Mrs Rinehart, a relationship also marked earlier this year at the Australian Rowing Championships at Lake Barrington, Tasmania in March with the inauguration of the Gina Rinehart AO trophy presented to the Open Women’s Coxless Four champions.
The Gina Rinehart AO Trophy stands as a lasting symbol of appreciation for the support of Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting that has played a transformative role in the success and sustainability of Australian rowing that has lasted for more than a decade.
Photo: Inaugural Gina Rinehart AO Trophy winners, the Swan River Composite-HPNTC Women’s Coxless Four crew with guest of Mrs Rinehart, Lee Hanson
The support of Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting continues to enable Australian athletes to pursue excellence on the world stage and strengthen the foundations of the sport from grassroots through to high performance. This year, the international season has thus far reflected the benefits of that support for Australian rowing.
At World Cup I in Seville in May, where the Rowsellas Women’s team raced, Australia won Gold in the Women’s Eight and Silver in the Women’s Four. At the Holland Beker Regatta in Amsterdam in June, the ‘Australia A’ team won five medals - Gold in the Women’s Eight and Bronze in the Men’s Pair on the Saturday, and Gold in the Women’s Eight, Men’s Four and Men’s Pair on the Sunday.
At World Cup III in Lucerne, the Senior Men’s, Women’s, Para, and ‘Australia A’ squads raced to help Australia finish third on the medal table with nine medals - two Golds, three Silvers and four Bronzes - of which five were in Olympic class events and four in Paralympic events. At the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Duisburg, our athletes performed exceptionally, winning three Gold Medals and two Silver Medals in an outstanding performance which saw Australia finish fourth on the overall medal tally. At the recent World Rowing Under 19 Championships in Plovdiv, our crews secured two Bronze Medals in another solid performance across the international season.
Optimism is understandably high that the benefits of the support from Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting will continue to be reflected in the performances and results of the Rowsellas at the 2026 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam on August 24-30.
Olympic Gold Medallist and dual Olympian Alex Hill OAM OLY, who will race at Amsterdam with Angus Dawson OLY in the Men’s Pair that won Gold at World Cup III in Lucerne, said the support of Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting ensured the Rowsellas could train to reach the optimal level needed to excel on the world stage.
“We are really grateful for that support, from Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting,” Hill said. “It means so much to us. It allows us to focus on training and do what we do. It also allows Rowing Australia to develop depth and work on getting boats to move fast.”
Photo: Rowing Australia Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO with the Rowsellas at the ETC.
Hill said Mrs Rinehart’s visit to the ETC on Saturday in which she not only spoke with the athletes, but also the coaches and team staff and was one of several she has made over the years, significantly boosted team spirits leading into the World Championships.
“It’s been a very successful season so far for the ART,” Hill said. “It’s great that Mrs Rinehart can be here and feel the team spirit that she has played such a major role in creating.
“That she can take time out to come and visit the team personally and see how we are going with our training means a great deal to us. It always does.
“She has visited us before. It has always given us a lift. It was great to see her again.”
Rowing Australia sincerely thanks our Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart AO for her time visiting the Rowsellas at the ETC, for the encouragement she shared with athletes and staff, and for her ongoing leadership and commitment to supporting Australian rowers as they pursue excellence and their dream of proudly representing the nation.
Photo credit: Brad Redfern Photography