Ian Wright, head coach of the Swiss Rowing elite squad, has decided to step down, opening a new chapter for himself and Swiss rowing. The charismatic coach, who joined SWISS ROWING in December 2021 with the mission of building a strong Swiss delegation for the Paris Olympics, leaves the federation at his own request. Wright, who previously served as head coach for SWISS ROWING from 2014 to 2016, returned after an international coaching career to push Swiss rowing to new heights on the global stage.
Over the past three years, Wright led the elite national team to achievements not seen in decades. With six boats qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the Swiss rowing delegation reached a level of representation unmatched in the last 50 years. The crowning achievement of this impressive campaign was the Olympic bronze medal won by Andrin Gulich and Roman Röösli in the men’s pair – a performance foreshadowed by their World Championship title in the same event the year before.
Beyond this historic accomplishment, other Swiss boats proved themselves at the highest level: the women’s quadruple sculls team (Lisa Lötscher, Pascale Walker, Célia Dupré, and Fabienne Schweizer) and the lightweight men’s double sculls (Raphaël Ahumada and Jan Schäuble) earned Olympic diplomas with fourth-place finishes, while the men’s quadruple sculls (Maurin Lange, Scott Bärlocher, Jonah Plock, and Dominic Condrau) gained international recognition with a sixth-place finish.
Wright’s legacy is defined not only by medals and diplomas but by the dynamic team he cultivated. Blending young talents with athletes possessing Olympic experience, he built a competitive and resilient national squad that seems well-prepared for future challenges. “Thanks to the commitment of the coaching team and the elite athletes, we were able to celebrate many wonderful medal wins and overall World Cup victories. Ian Wright has had a tremendous impact on that success,” said Christian Stofer, the federation’s director, in a statement published on the federation’s website.
Wright’s next professional challenge remains unknown, but his departure undeniably marks the end of an era. Swiss rowing bids farewell to one of its foremost architects of success, looking back with pride on what has been achieved.