Ballarat Rowing Association president Eric Waller said the regatta was an ideal event to help prepare for the world masters, which would be the biggest rowing event on Lake Wendouree since the 1956 Olympics.

The Victorian Masters Rowing Championships will be contested in Ballarat for the second year in

 a row.

Rowing Victoria chief executive officer Nick Gall said the rowing fraternity really loved competing on Lake Wendouree.

“To see it return to its former glory is a tribute to the City of Ballarat.”

Gall said masters rowing was thriving.

“Masters rowing starts at age 27 and, comparatively, the numbers are pretty high, with 35 per cent of Rowing Victoria’s club membership made up of masters,” he said.

Ballarat Regional Tourism chairman Stuart Benjamin said a key BRT strategy was to position Ballarat as one of Australia’s premier rowing venues.

“Attracting events of this calibre helps showcase not only Lake Wendouree as a great rowing facility, but also Ballarat as a thriving regional city.

“We are expecting about 600 competitors and support staff on Saturday.”

The program will feature 66 medal events – 32 male, 28 female and six mixed.

Entries include 344 athletes (172 men, 172 women), who will compete in 722 seats across the day.

Racing begins at 9am.

It is the last regatta on the Rowing Victoria calendar for the season, leading to the Australian masters titles in Canberra on April 25 to 28, an even which was on Lake Wendouree last year.