The rowers, clubs, and crews taking part in this year's Victory Day Regatta were presented in a special ceremony on Sunday evening, two days before the traditional race.

On Sunday evening, the eight participating clubs in this year's edition of the traditional Victory Day Regatta were presented, together with their crews, during a ceremony at the Grand Harbour.

This ceremony featured the presentation of the crews of Birzebbuga, Cospicua, Kalkara, Marsa, Marsamxett, Senglea, Siggiewi, and Vittoriosa.

The Regatta will be taking place on Tuesday, 8 September at the Grand Harbour, as part of the celebrations and festivities within the Victory Day programme.

The Ministry for Education and Sport stated that this initiative looked to boost prominence and recognition to all those who train, work, and make the necessary sacrifices to prepare for this event throughout the year to keep this tradition alive.

The Minister for Education and Sport, Byron Camilleri, presided over the ceremony. He stressed that the Regatta is much more than a sporting event, but a tradition linked with Maltese history and identity that is celebrated as a competitive sport requiring its own training, physical strength, coordination, teamwork, and continuous commitment from rowers and clubs.

"The Regatta is a tradition woven into our identity, but behind it are above all the people who bring it to life," Minister Camilleri said.

He said that this tradition remains strong thanks to the rowers who spend months training for it, the coaches, managers, volunteers, and families who give their time and energy.

The Minister stated that "We must continue to raise the profile of the Regatta, strengthen it as a sport, and give it the necessary support so that it continues to attract interest and new generations of rowers, without losing its unique character."

The Regatta is held twice a year - on Freedom Day and on Victory Day - and has its place cemented on the national calendar.

This ceremony is one of several other initiatives launched in recent days to empower and support the Regatta, as was pledged in the Labour Party's electoral manifesto. Among the announced initiatives is that each of the eight clubs will be given a new Regatta boat, plus other measures to provide more support to clubs and rowers and continue to bolster this competition's organisation.

Minister Camilleri said that this support also recognises the clubs' realities, such as the costs and sacrifices involved, to maintain their boats and participate in this sport. He stressed that the main aim is to provide the clubs with the necessary assistance to continue growing the Regatta while maintaining its distinctive character.

The Chairman of the Regatta Organising Committee, Kevin Borg, said that changes have been made to the sequence of races for this September edition. For instance, the women's race will be the penultimate race. He added that the new schedule gives more time between races for the weigh-in process, which requires its own time to be done properly.

Another change is the facilitating of the change of crews, particularly for rowers competing in more than one race.

"These changes are intended to have a more efficient programme from both a technical and organisational standpoint," Borg said.

In addition, the three shields will be determined during the final three races of the programme. Borg said that this change was made so that the highlight of the competition and the final celebration are brought together.

The Ministry for Education and Sport also shared the visual and technological surveillance during races is being improved, with the aim of reducing, as much as possible, any doubts and uncertainties about the result in a competition where races are often decided by small margins.

Minister Camilleri wished all the rowers the best for their races and appealed for the passion and sporting rivalry that distinguish the Regatta to always remain based in respect and sportsmanship. He stressed that, in both victory and defeat, respect between rowers and clubs must always remain at the forefront.