Get involved

Talofa lava. Samoa Rowing is being rebuilt from the water up — and the Association is looking for the people who will build it. We read every response, and everyone who leaves their details will hear from us before the September 2026 visit to Samoa.

The village boat: fautasi training, Upolu — photo: Andrew Moore, CC BY-SA 2.0

Who's asking: the Association is led, for now, by Acting President Daniel Marquardt, who rowed for Samoa at the 2016 Olympic qualification regatta and the 2017 World Rowing Championships. More about the Association →

Register your interest →

About two minutes. No Google account needed. This is an expression of interest, not a membership application.
Under 18? You can fill it in yourself — just include your parent or guardian's contact; we always include them.

Who we're looking for

• Athletes. Rowers of any level — and paddlers. If you pull an oar in a fautasi or a va'a, you already do this: Samoan has the word for it, alo. Olympic rowing is the same stroke in a different boat — you sit backwards, on a sliding seat, and the first week is humbling for everyone — but the engine, the feel for the water, and knowing how to sit in a crew carry over, and those are the hard parts. We're not asking anyone to leave their club. And if your sport is the pool, the road, the gym, or the field — swimmers, runners, cyclists, CrossFitters, rugby and soccer players — a big engine converts fast, and rowing is built for athletes like you. No rowing experience needed to put your name down.
• People in Samoa. The Association cannot be stood up in Samoa without members in Samoa — so if you live in Samoa, in Apia, across Upolu, or on Savai'i, your name matters most of all. Nobody goes on any register without being asked first.
• Samoans overseas. Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, the States — if you're of Samoan heritage and you row, coach, paddle, or want to help, you count too. Some of Samoa's rowing will be built from home and some from away; both are Samoa.
• Parents. Beach Sprint joins the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028, and the Games come to our own region at Brisbane in 2032. Rowing is a sport where a small nation can genuinely reach the start line — if your child is sporty and you've wondered where it could lead, fill the form in for them.
• Volunteers. Boats, logistics, media, translation, administration, safety on the water — an association runs on this work.
• Coaches and officials. Rowing, va'a, paddling, or another sport with transferable coaching — and anyone who'd like to qualify as a race official. World Rowing runs internationally recognised courses; we record your interest and let you know as those pathways open.
• Supporters and partners. Organisations and individuals interested in partnership or equipment donation. We are not accepting donations or payments at this stage — the Association has no bank account until it is registered in Samoa.

September 2026 — the Association comes home

In September 2026 the Association adopts its constitution, elects its officers, and files for registration with Samoa's Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Labour — in Apia. Daniel will be in Samoa that week and wants to meet people, on the water and off it. Put your name down now and we will write to you before the visit — and meet where the week allows.

Where things stand — no spin

World Rowing lists Samoa Rowing Association as its member federation for Samoa, and Samoa's entry races at the 2026 Oceania Beach Sprint Championships this September. What's missing is the Samoan half: the Association is not yet registered in Samoa and not yet a recognised member of SASNOC (Samoa's Olympic committee). Recognition follows local registration, and September's filing is that step. The Association is run today from the United States by a Samoan family; September is about giving it its home in Samoa — and that cannot happen without Samoans in Samoa.

So this is an expression of interest, not a membership application — membership can only open once the Association is registered. Everyone who writes to us now will be told when and how to join.

Your details

Your details are held by the Samoa Rowing Association. We never sell them and never pass them to anyone for marketing. The only sharing we would ever do is what the Association's own registration requires — with Samoa's Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Labour or with SASNOC, if you later choose to be named as a member — and we would ask you before that happens. The form is hosted by Google. Email us any time to be removed and we will delete your entry and confirm. More on how we handle your details.

Register your interest →

Questions first? Write to us.

Fa'afetai tele lava.
— Daniel Marquardt, Acting President, Samoa Rowing Association