SEATTLE – Washington Rowing, along with Windermere Real Estate, welcomes the Cuban Men's and Women's National Rowing Teams as the headlining opponent for the 30th annual Windermere Cup, scheduled for Saturday, May 7, 2016.

The annual spring rowing event on the Montlake Cut is held prior to Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day festivities which signal the beginning of boating season in Seattle. The entire event is a joint effort between Washington Rowing, the Seattle Yacht Club and Windermere Real Estate, with Windermere serving as the title sponsor of the main racing event.

“The Windermere Cup has a storied past of looking beyond politics to bring the best rowers to Seattle,” said OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate. “It started in 1987, when we brought rowers from the former Soviet Union to compete in the very first Windermere Cup, and it continues with us welcoming the Cuban National Teams 30 years later.”

Windermere Cup History and 30th Anniversary

The 2016 Windermere Cup matchup with Cuba is significant due to the reestablished diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba on July 20, 2015. It also marks one of the few times a Cuban National Team has competed in the United States since the U.S. and Cuba severed diplomatic relations in January of 1961 during the Cold War, roughly 55 years ago.

“Sport is a place where we can come together to compete and put politics aside,” UW men's crew head coach Michael Callahan said. “This is a great opportunity for us to build relationships and get to the heart of what sports are all about. Current and former coaches have worked hard for years to make this happen, and we are really happy to be able to honor the history of the Windermere Cup by hosting Cuba.”

The matchup is a fitting tribute to the history of the Windermere Cup, which got its start 30 years ago when Windermere Real Estate founder, John Jacobi, joined up with the University of Washington to create the annual rowing event. They wanted to bring the best team in the world to Seattle's Montlake Cut, which at the time was the Soviets. That occasion marked one of the few athletic competitions for the Soviets inside the U.S. in 25 years, since relations were strained during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union brought both its men's and women's crews and won both races in convincing fashion. After that, the precedent was set for what has become one of the world's premier rowing events, and certainly a staple of Seattle's rowing community.

“The history of Washington Rowing has been about blazing trails, and this is another one of those moments,” UW women's crew interim head coach Conor Bullis said. “There are so many people to thank for the work they've put in to helping Cuba come to Seattle, both from Windermere and UW. We're looking forward to continuing the legacy of the Windermere Cup that John Jacobi has built.”

2016 Men's Windermere Cup: Washington, Cuba, Stanford

UW men's crew continued the most dominant run in collegiate rowing history by winning its record-setting fifth straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship in 2015, sweeping all five championship races for the third time in team history to win its ninth straight Ten Eyck Trophy as the overall points champion.

Cuba will bring a boat made up of the country's best rowers, led by Angel Fournier Rodriguez, the most decorated rower in Cuban rowing history. Fournier competes internationally in the men's single scull, and most recently won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada. He took sixth place at the 2015 World Championships, prior to which he had medaled in the last six World Rowing Cups and World Championships, including a gold medal at the 2015 World Rowing Cup I in Bled, Slovenia. He won silver at the 2013 World Championships and bronze in 2014. Fournier is also a two-time Olympian, representing Cuba in the single scull at the 2012 London Games and in the quadruple scull at the 2008 Beijing Games.

“Angel is a household name in the rowing world,” Callahan said. “He's a world-class talent. Cuba is a country that has some of the best athletes in the world and competing against that kind of talent will certainly help our guys.”

In total, Cuba will bring five rowers that boast appearances at the World Championships and World Rowing Cups on their international resumes. Six members of the Cuban men's eight for the Windermere Cup medaled at the 2015 Pan American Games. In addition to Fournier's gold in the single scull, he took gold in the double scull with Eduardo Rubio Rodriguez and silver in the quadruple scull that included Rubio and Adrian Oquendo Ibanez, both of whom are part of the Windermere Cup eight. Two more, Liosbel Hernandez Lazaga and Raul Hernandez Hidalgo, took bronze in the lightweight double scull, while Janier Concepcion and Oquendo were part of the boat that took silver in the coxless four.

"Windermere is about supporting the community it serves,” Callahan said. “Once again Windermere has provided an opportunity to showcase the Pacific Northwest rowing community on the world stage by bringing Cuba to Seattle."

Stanford will round out the men's Windermere Cup field. The Cardinal are traditionally one of the Pac-12's best crews and a national contender. The Stanford men will make their third appearance in the Windermere Cup.

“We're excited to have Stanford back; they're a good team year in and year out,” Callahan said. “They consistently field a strong team and we're looking forward to a very competitive race.”

2016 Women's Windermere Cup: Washington, Cuba, San Diego

UW women's crew is coming off its best showing at the NCAA Championships in seven years, where the Huskies took fourth place and were one of two teams to place all three boats in grand finals in 2015. UW won its first team trophy at the NCAA Championships since 2008. Combined with the UW men's crew, Washington Rowing placed all eight of its boats in national championship grand finals, the only school in the nation to do so.

The Cuban Women's National Team will put together an eight that includes the country's best. Yariulvis Cobas Garcia is one of Cuba's most successful rowers, having medaled at the last two Pan Am Games. She also competed at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 World Championships, both in the double scull.

“Racing a talented Cuban team with an Olympian in their lineup will be a good test for us,” Bullis said. “They're athletic, they have experience and they are improving. In addition to the historic and political implications, we are looking forward to a great competition with Cuba.”

Ilianny Roman Olivera is one of Cuba's top up-and-coming talents and will be making the trip to Seattle with the Cuban eight. She rowed at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China and at the 2014 Junior World Championships in Germany.

As part of its women's eight, Cuba is bringing three rowers who won medals at the 2015 Pan American Games. Cobas was part of a bronze medal winning boat in the double sculls, and Yislena Hernandez Guzman combined with Licet Hernandez Licea to win silver in the lightweight double sculls. In total, six members of the Windermere Cup women's eight competed at the Pan American Games.

Cuba's men and women combined to earn two gold medals and seven medals overall to finish third in the medal count at the Pan Am Games, behind Canada and the U.S., respectively.

The University of San Diego, of the West Coast Conference, will also take part in the women's Windermere Cup. The Bulldogs tied for first at the WCC Championships in 2015.

“Bringing San Diego maintains the tradition of bringing top level teams from different conferences to participate in the Windermere Cup, something we hope to continue in the future,” Bullis said. “The overall quality of the three teams racing will be high and we expect a fight all the way to the finish line."

The Windermere Cup will include a number of events during the week leading up to race day. The Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade through the Montlake Cut will immediately follow the racing. Further details will be announced at a later date.