Rowing Canada announced the appointment of Olympic oarsman Jeff Powell as the next CEO of Canada’s national governing body for the sport. Powell won two World Rowing Championships in the men’s eight and is a former Canadian National Team coach.
“I am tremendously excited to return more fully to the sport and the organization that has been such an enormous part of my life,” said Powell. “I look forward to working with Canada’s rowing community to support the sport we all care about and to focus on building a strong and connected future together.”
Canada failed to qualify a men’s crew for the Paris Olympics and hasn’t raced a men’s eight in the Olympics since 2012. The women’s eight won silver in Paris and the women’s lightweight double—the only other Canadian crew to qualify—finished eighth. Jacob Wassermann was Canada’s lone Paralympic competitor in Paris.
“As we continue to evolve our strategic direction and build upon the great legacy and potential of our sport, we are confident Jeff will help elevate and strengthen our organization and our rowing communities,” said Michael Bryden, Chair of the RCA Board of Directors.
“He’s a man of high drive, high standards, and very confident in implementing his ideas. He will piss off many people and this is exactly what the organization needs,” said Powell’s teammate Adam Kreek. “He has the hard edge of a high performer and is willing to lean into conflict.”
Powell returns to rowing from the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba, where he was CEO. He replaces Terry Dillon, who resigned June 30, and will succeed interim CEO Jennifer Fitzpatrick on February 3, 2025.
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