Aussie Olympic rowing team choose what could be one of the most cringeworthy nicknames in the country’s sporting history
- New team name follows national competition
- Doesn’t roll off the tongue as well as ‘Oarsome Foursome’
The Australian rowing team has given itself a new name in preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris this month. But the name they have chosen does not seem to be the best one.
After a nationwide competition to come up with a name for the team and consultation with stakeholders, athlete leaders and sports design experts, the name Rowsellas was ultimately chosen.
The new title combines the name of the iconic Australian parrot with a pun – a bit like Australia’s most famous rowing team, the Oarsome Foursome.
It’s pretty cool [for the team] “We are proud to announce that we will be joining forces to become the Rowsellas. It is very special to have our men, women and paras all under one name and one branding. It is truly unifying,” said rower Kendall Brodie in a Rowing Australia press release.
‘The speed and agility of the Rosella is very similar to how I feel in the Men’s Eight when we’re at top speed. I have to hold on tight because it feels like I’m flying, so it’s a very fitting name for the team.’
Rowsella’s teammate Sarah Hawe hopes the new name will catch on.
“I love that the audience has something to cheer for,” Hawe said.
‘A lot of the big sports teams have mascots… the Dolphins, the Matildas… so it’s really exciting that rowing is now getting involved in that sector as well.’
The Australian rowing team (pictured at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games) has rebranded itself as the Rowsellas, but the new name has failed to capture the imagination of sports fans
It is the first time that the highly successful team has one name for all participants (pictured is the Australian women’s eight team at this year’s World Championships)
However, announcements of the new name on social media were disappointing on Tuesday.
Despite several posts being made to the Rowing Australia and Australian Olympic Team accounts on X, none of the posts have generated a response from Australian sports fans at the time of writing.
That stands in contrast to the famous name Oarsome Foursome, which was given to the country’s coxless four from 1990 to 2012, during which time they won two Olympic golds and two world championships.
Australian national teams have a tradition of basing nicknames on local wildlife. Examples include Hockeyroos (women’s hockey), Boomers (men’s basketball) and Kookaburras (men’s hockey).
The Matildas (women’s football) is inspired by the country’s cultural heritage and comes from the folk song Waltzing Matilda.
The Australian rowing team, one of the most successful nations in the sport, has never had a team name to race under until now.
Rowing Australia CEO Sarah Cook said the creation of the Rowsellas identity was a huge moment for the sport.
‘Rowing has a long and rich history in Australia, so creating a name, identity and logo from scratch required a huge amount of input and support from people across the sport: administrators, coaches, the athletes and of course the fans, who submitted hundreds of ideas for the team name,’ Cook said.
‘The enthusiasm was overwhelming, which shows how much the Australian rowing team – the Rowsellas – means to our community. We hope we have rewarded them with a name and icon that they can get behind and that our athletes can represent with pride and distinction.’