Offers flood in for Austrians

The Austrian team for the 2010 World Rowing Championships has been overwhelmed with messages of goodwill and offers of support following the theft of some team members' kitbags from their training base at Mercer Rowing Club.

Go Bus, official suppliers of bus and coach services, has offered the team a free afternoon out. Josh Hedley, Transport Manager for Go Bus at the event, offered a free bus for a trip to the destination of the team's choice, suggesting Rotorua, Tauranga/Mt Maunganui or the Waitomo Caves. He also offered to work with tourism operators to set up special discounted entry rates for the team.

Rowing NZ CEO Simon Peterson visited the Austrian team's training camp today to deliver a range of training kit to replace the stolen items. 

"There have been a number of offers and messages of goodwill to the Austrian team following the theft," says CEO Tom Mayo. "The Team Manager has been overwhelmed by the concern and support shown. It's great for them to know that so many people care."

It's been a busy few days at Auckland International Airport as teams continue to arrive for the Championships. The latest arrivals include the teams from Argentina, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the adaptive team from Russia and the full USA team.