12/09/2026
What happens when the competitive career ends?
For Ronald Chen, the answer has always been: you stay in rowing.
For more than four decades, Chen has been a rower, umpire, volunteer and advocate for the sport. For the past 24 years, he has also helped shape the future of Masters rowing as a member of the World Rowing Masters Commission.
He remembers a time when Masters Regatta entries were handled with faxes and yellow pads. Today, thousands of athletes from around the world come to compete at a World Rowing Masters Regatta.
But for Chen, the biggest story isn’t the growth in numbers or technology.
It’s the people.
Masters rowers are athletes, coaches, club leaders, officials, organisers and volunteers. They keep clubs going, bring new generations into the sport and carry rowing into communities around the world.
They are athletes for life. And increasingly, they are ambassadors for rowing.
Read Ronald Chen’s story from Bled — and his vision for where Masters rowing goes next. 👇
👉 https://worldrowing.com/2026/09/11/athletes-for-life-ambassadors-for-rowing/
Read the full story on World Rowing