Britain intends to control the seas
The Great Britain Olympic Beach Sprint Program is in full swing, with the aim of assembling a formidable team to compete in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and beyond. The program, which began in late April 2025, is backed by UK Sport and the National Lottery, with a group of athletes training full-time under the guidance of Olympic Head Coach Tom Pattichis.
The program's development is not limited to the National Training Centre at Caversham. Athletes are also training at domestic and international training camps, as well as two new partner 'Beach Sprint Olympic Training Venues' at St Andrews and Bournemouth. These venues are the result of British Rowing's partnerships with the University of St Andrews, Scottish Rowing, Bournemouth University, and several rowing clubs.
In Scotland, the University of St Andrews Performance Development Academy is a hub for nurturing potential Beach Sprint athletes. Meanwhile, the North East Performance Development Academy is based in South Shields, with partnerships with several rowing clubs and South Shields Sailing Club.
The programme is not just about producing top athletes. It also aims to expand rowing's appeal and leverage the new Olympic Beach Sprint discipline to build on Great Britain's recent success. Having already won 10 medals across the 2023 and 2024 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in senior and U19 categories, the programme is poised to make a significant impact in the sport.
Three Beach Sprint specific Performance Development Academy (PDA) sites have been established, two in England and one in Scotland, as part of British Rowing's efforts to broaden the base of Coastal Sculling participation in the UK. The network includes the Rowing Centre UK, Swift Racing, Scottish Rowing, and Welsh Rowing.
Tom Pattichis, the Head Coach of the GB Olympic Beach Sprint programme, expressed gratitude for the funding and support from partners. With the Beach Sprint discipline now on the Olympic programme for LA 2028 and the Youth Olympic Games next year in Dakar, the future of British Beach Sprint racing looks bright.
[1] British Rowing. (2025). GB Olympic Beach Sprint Programme. [online] Available at: https://www.britishrowing.org/gb-olympic-beach-sprint-programme/
[2] British Rowing. (2025). GB Olympic Beach Sprint Team. [online] Available at: https://www.britishrowing.org/gb-olympic-beach-sprint-team/
[3] University of St Andrews. (2025). University of St Andrews Performance Development Academy. [online] Available at: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/sport/performance/performance-development-academy/
[4] British Rowing. (2025). Beach Sprint Performance Development Academies. [online] Available at: https://www.britishrowing.org/beach-sprint-performance-development-academies/
[5] British Rowing. (2025). Beach Sprint Programme. [online] Available at: https://www.britishrowing.org/beach-sprint-programme/
- The University of St Andrews Performance Development Academy, a hub for nurturing potential Beach Sprint athletes, partners with British Rowing and other rowing clubs to contribute to the GB Olympic Beach Sprint Program.
- Rowing clubs in Scotland, such as the North East Performance Development Academy and South Shields Sailing Club, collaborate with British Rowing to develop athletes for the GB Olympic Beach Sprint Team.
- Whilst focusing on producing top Beach Sprint athletes, the GB Olympic Beach Sprint Program also promotes sports like rowing by leveraging the new Olympic Beach Sprint discipline and aiming to broaden participation through rowing clubs and performance development academies.
