Nathan Benderson Park Selected to Host 2020 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials – Rowing

Nathan Benderson Park has been selected as the site for the 2020 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials – Rowing to be held in April 2020. Located in Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla., the venue also hosted 2016 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials.

While the exact boat classes that will be racing in Sarasota won’t be finalized until the completion of the 2019 World Rowing Championships held Aug. 25-Sept. 1 in Linz, Austria, the 2020 trials event is expected to feature racing in eight Olympic events and three Paralympic events.

“We are excited to bring the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials – Rowing back to Sarasota-Bradenton,” said USRowing Chief Executive Officer Patrick McNerney. “Nathan Benderson Park is a world-class facility that will provide our Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls everything they need in their quest to make the 2020 team. Hosting the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials – Rowing in Sarasota is the next building block, as we continue to develop our long-term relationship. We’d like to thank Visit Sarasota and all of our partners in Sarasota-Bradenton for supporting this event.”

In 2016, the trials featured racing in nine boat classes, including the women’s single sculls, where Gevvie Stone made the Olympic team before eventually winning the silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games.

The nation’s premier rowing venue, Nathan Benderson Park has hosted numerous international and national rowing events including the 2017 World Rowing Championships and 2018 World Rowing Masters Regatta, in addition to the 2016 trials. In July, the venue will host the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Nathan Benderson Park also has hosted several USRowing national championship events and is slated to host the USRowing Youth National Championships for the next three years, beginning this June.

“We are thrilled that Sarasota and Nathan Benderson Park will continue our support of the sport of rowing and the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the United States by hosting the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials,” said Stephen V. Rodriguez, president and CEO of Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, which operates Nathan Benderson Park. “This is part of a larger, long-term vision for our partnership with USRowing, to be at the center of rowing in the U.S. We look forward to hosting these amazing athletes and to providing an outstanding stage on which to perform.”

The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will run July 24-Aug. 9 in Tokyo, Japan. The 2020 Paralympic Games are scheduled for Aug. 25-Sept. 6.

“We are honored to host this prestigious event for the second time in Sarasota,” said Shelby Connett, sports director of Visit Sarasota County. “Visit Sarasota County stands ready to assist SANCA and USRowing in welcoming our nation’s top rowers and celebrate future Olympians and Paralympians.”