FIRST Filipina Olympic rower Joanie Delgaco shared her joy in seeing how much the Philippine Rowing Association (PRA) has grown from its once-small community.
The 2025 SEA Games gold medalist competed in an exhibition match alongside teammate Kristine Paraon — with whom she shared the podium — and fellow national athletes, Cris Nievarez, Edgar Ilas, Van Maxilom and Ronnie Peñaredondo in the 2026 PRA Indoor Meet supported by the Philippine Sports Commission at the University Hotel, UP Diliman in Quezon City.
Delgaco shared that the tournament has seen a major boost in attendance jumping from a handful of participants last year to more than 100 entries in the current edition.
“We started from a small space. Now, rowing is more recognized, many people know about it, and many are getting interested. Now, I see they’re really enjoying it,” she said.
Paraon also shared her delight at the high volume of entries for the 2026 PRA meet.
“I’m happy that rowing is getting more recognized in the Philippines. PRA is really happy, many are joining the meet, unlike before. Rowing is more known, and I hope more will support it,” the 2023 World Rowing Indoor Champion said.
“Hope more will support and join rowing, PRA is open to those who want to try,” she added.
Scheduled for March 28–29, the two-day 2026 PRA Meet acts as the primary recruitment test for national team selection.
Foreign coach Aliaksandra Tsekhanovich, three months in with the Philippine rowing team, aims to strengthen the athletes’ holistic conditioning. She praised the current event as a start for Filipino rowers.
“I think we need to establish more rowing clubs in the regions — just in general. We need to really make rowing accessible for everyone. The Philippines is surrounded by water and there are so many places to row,” she said.
“We just have to grow the sport, do it right and provide more access so people can learn about it. We need to make it more popular so people can actually visualize themselves rowing,” she added.