About Samoa Rowing

Samoa Rowing Association is Samoa's home for the sport of rowing. World Rowing has listed Samoa as a member federation since 2000 — but for most of that time the seat was quiet, with only a handful of appearances under the Samoan flag. That is changing.

The return

In August 2026, Samoa rejoined World Rowing's Oceania development programme, and Alia Marquardt races for Samoa at the 2026 Oceania Beach Sprint Championships (Gold Coast, 3–6 September, following the Oceania development camp from 31 August). In September 2026, the Association's founding members meet in Apia to adopt its constitution, elect its officers, and file for the Association's registration under Samoan law — giving the Association a permanent home in Samoa for the first time.

Flatwater and Beach Sprint

Samoa Rowing develops the sport in all its forms. Classic flatwater rowing is where our athletes' roots are; Beach Sprint — coastal rowing's short, spectacular race from the beach through the surf — is the focus of World Rowing's Oceania development programme and makes its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028 — and the Games come to our own region in Brisbane in 2032. A discipline made for the Pacific: ocean-facing, accessible, and open to nations building their programmes. Samoa's rowers race both.

Who we are

Daniel Marquardt — Acting President. A Samoan citizen, Daniel rowed for Samoa at the 2016 Olympic qualification regatta for Asia and Oceania and at the 2017 World Rowing Championships. He leads the Association's re-establishment ahead of the September 2026 general assembly in Apia, where the Association's officers will be elected. His page →

Our purposes

As set out in the constitution prepared for adoption in September 2026, the Association exists to develop, promote, and govern the sport of rowing in Samoa in all its forms; to enable Samoan rowers to compete internationally; and to uphold the standards of World Rowing and the Olympic movement — including its commitment to gender representation in the sport's governance.

Samoa Rowing Association is the Association's legal name; "Samoa Rowing" is how you'll see us on the water.