"2006 FISA Distinguished Service to International Rowing: Finalists (listed in alphabetical order):
- Penny Chuter, former head coach of Great Britain and member of FISA’s competitive rowing commission, Great Britain. Penny was a rowing trendsetter in many ways. Starting out as one of the few competitive women rowers competing internationally in the early 1960s (European Championships). Penny went on to be the first British head coach that was a woman taking up the position in 1973. She can attribute names like Sir Steve Redgrave in her portfolio of athletes that she has coached. Penny joined FISA’s women’s commission 1983 and then in 1985 joined the competitive commission where she remained until 2006.
- Jose Nunes, former chair of FISA’s adaptive commission, Portugal. In 2001 when FISA created the adaptive commission Jose became the first chair of the commission. He remained in this position until 2005 and in that time Jose was one of the forces towards rowing becoming an event at the Paralympic Games.
- Don Rowlands, former president of Rowing New Zealand, New Zealand. Don has dedicated his life to rowing. He started as a competitive rower and then moved to administration of the sport from national team selector, to chairman of the 1978 World Rowing Championships in New Zealand and numerous other roles.
Previous winners: Klaus Filter (GER), Thor Nilsen (NOR), Mike Sweeney (GBR), Werner Conrad (GER)Initial nominations for the FISA awards are made by FISA’s council, commission and staff. The council then decides the finalists (listed above) and the ultimate decision in each of the categories is made by FISA’s executive committee with the help of the chair of the women’s, athletes and competitive commissions. Winners will be announced at the FISA Coaches Conference in Cyprus, the first weekend of November."