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The Club

Club History

Started in 1982, and officially founded in 1987, the Club d'aviron de Montréal - Montreal Rowing Club's main goal is to promote the sport of rowing in the greater Montreal area.

In the beginning, there was the Olympic Basin...

The Olympic Basin, a heritage site of the 1976 Olympics, is one of the city's hidden jewels. With its 2000m of tranquil water and spectacular view of the Montreal skyline, the Basin is truly one of the premier rowing facilities in North America and the only one designed specifically for rowing on the American Continent. 

Beyond the Olympic Games, the Basin has also hosted numerous World Championships and other events, including the 28th FISA Masters Regatta (2001), an outstanding success that brought together a record number of participants, and won the SportsQuébec's "Maurice" award for outstanding event of the year.

Read more about the history of the Olympic Basin.



The Rowing Club : an overview of milestones (1976 - 2001):

  • 1976 – July 18-25: The rowing events of the XXI Olympiad are held at Montreal's new Olympic Basin on Île Notre-Dame, part of the former Expo '67 site.

  • Fall 1976 – McGill University revives its intercollegiate rowing club (halted due to World War II), and obtains permission to use the Olympic Basin facilities.

  • 1976 to early 1980s – McGill crews are coached by Rob Baxter, Dave Moore, Jeff Shaw, Atilibio Magione and Bob Marlow.

  • 1982—The City of Montreal sets up the Club Nautique et Plein-Air de Montréal, offering Montrealers a range of sports on Île Notre-Dame, including rowing, wind surfing and kayaking.

  • 1983—Club member Stefan Blach wins men's single sculls event at the Canadian Rowing Championships (forerunner to the Canada Cup) held at Montreal's Olympic Basin.

  • 1984—The Olympic Basin is the site of the 1984 World Lightweight Rowing Championships. On this occasion women rowed 2k for the first time in international competition. Several Montreal crews represented Canada at this event.

  • 1985— Mike Muchnik becomes rowing coach at the Olympic Basin, doing double duty for both McGill and Montreal.

  • 1987— Official founding of the Montreal Rowing Club/Club d'Aviron de Montreal.
    A constitution is drafted with Peter Jepson as the first President.

  • 1988—Mike Lizée becomes head coach for the Montreal and McGill crews.

  • 1990—Argyros Fotis becomes head coach. Karol Sauvé returns to Montreal from the National Team with the mandate to promote rowing and other sports at the Olympic Basin, and prepare for the 1992 World Lightweight and Junior Championships. Lubomir Kisiov joins the coaching staff.

  • 1990-92--The Montreal men's eight wins the Canadian Championships in 1990 and 1991 and wins a silver in 1992. They compete internationally at Cannes, France, placing fifth. Richard Heller is MRC president from 1990-1994.

  • 1992 — Montreal hosts the World Lightweight and Junior Championships. Lubomir Kisiov is head coach. Dusan Kovacevic is coach of the men's crews from 1992 - 1996.

  • 1992 – Montreal Rowing Club members Henry Hering and Greg Stevenson represent Canada at the Barcelona summer Olympics.

  • 1996 -- The MRC men's eight is the strongest club boat in North America; Dusan Kovacevic is named “Canadian Coach of the Year”.

  • 1996 – Among those representing Canada at the summer Olympics in Atlanta are MRC members Alison Korn and Tosha Tsang (silver medallists, women's eights), Henry Hering and Greg Stevenson (men's eight)

  • 2000 – Montreal Rowing Club members represent Canada at the summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia: Alison Korn (bronze medallist, women's eight), Gen Meredith, Henry Hering and Greg Stevenson. Geneviève Tétrault becomes MRC head coach.

  • 2001 – FISA World Rowing Masters Regatta, August 30 to Sept. 3 at the Olympic Basin. Gen Meredith (National Team) represents Canada in World events as member of women's lightweight double sculls crew (bronze medal, Munich)