High performance director Maurogiovanni to leave Rowing Ireland, McWilliams appointed chair

Ireland’s rowing coach Antonio Maurogiovanni at the Paris Olympics. Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Rowing Ireland have announced Barry McWilliams will be the new chair of the organisation.

But the rowing body has parted ways with high performance director Antonio Maurogiovanni, who oversaw the last two Olympic cycles.

McWilliams, currently the Northern Ireland Representative on the Rowing Ireland Board, has a longstanding connection with the Queen’s University Boat Club. 

The departure of Italian Maurogiovanni comes as something of a surprise after he oversaw four medals between the last two Games. The Irish team also won several medals at European and World Championships.

However, the removal of lightweight categories from the Los Angeles Games is a factor, with Maurogiovanni now set to wrap up a four-year contract at the end of this year.

Maurogiovanni represented Italy at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics in Seoul and Barcelona. Ireland was his fourth port of call as a coach when he succeeded Morten Espersen in the high-performance chair.

National lightweight coach Dominic Casey will fill in as high performance director on an interim basis.