Environmental issues will be paramount at the Santiago 2023 rowing venue ©Getty Images

Rowing events at the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games will pioneer new technology to maintain the cleanliness of the water at the Laguna Grande, which is part of a nature sanctuary.

Kristopher Grudt, vice-president of the Pan American Rowing Confederation has highlighted the importance being given to environmental matters at a venue that is more than 500 kilometres south of the Chilean capital and which was chosen last year following water problems caused by the La Luz de Curauma Dam, in Valparaíso.

The chosen venue is part of the "Laguna Grande-Humedal Los Batros" nature sanctuary, declared as such in October 2021 by decree of the Ministry of the Environment.

"Clean water and everyone having access to it is very important to us," said Grudt.

"World Rowing collaborates with the clean water project of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF for its acronym in English), so it is crucial for us to be able to use the water, but without damaging it and leaving it clean.

"It will be one of the first major competitions in the world to use boats with electric motors for referees and officials in order to reduce the impact of any structure present at the headquarters. So this place will continue to be as wonderful as it is now…

Kristopher Grudt, vice-president of the Pan American Rowing Confederation, has said rowing at Santiago 2023 will pioneer new technology to maintain water cleanliness on a course that is part of a nature sanctuary ©Santiago 2023
Kristopher Grudt, vice-president of the Pan American Rowing Confederation, has said rowing at Santiago 2023 will pioneer new technology to maintain water cleanliness on a course that is part of a nature sanctuary ©Santiago 2023

"Almost a year ago we visited Laguna Grande to see if it was a viable place for the competition and we discovered that yes, it has excellent qualities, that's why we totally recommend its use.

"It has the necessary distance, since the race course is 2,000 metres long, it also has a good space for boats, spectators and all the necessary infrastructure to make it a quality venue."

The candidate countries to obtain medals in the Pan American Games are the traditional United States and Canada, but Uruguay, Argentina, Cuba and Chile also arrive with options with a crew that recently finished second to the United States at a pre-Pan American meeting.

Speaking about Chile’s medal options, Grudt added: "Everything depends on the size of the boat and the event, and I think the venue has a very good chance of a medal."

The Pan American Games will not qualify rowers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The rowers' route to the five-ring event has three pathways - the World Championships in Belgrade from September 3 to 10, the continental classification regattas in 2024, one of which could be hosted again at Laguna Grande, the final repechage, in May 2024, in Lucerne, Switzerland.

In Santiago 2023 there will be 13 rowing medal events from October 21 to 25 with six men's events, six women's and the newcomer eight mixed.