20 March 2025
Bilbao Campus
The Itsasmuseum of Bilbao was the venue on Thursday, March 20, for the Challenge between the crews of Ingenieros and Deusto, accompanied by their respective sponsors: Eva Ferreira as sponsor of Ingenieros and José Ignacio Goirigolzarri as sponsor of Deusto.
The purpose of this event prior to the Regatta, which has been held for 30 years, is for the crew that did not win the previous edition to challenge the one that won and challenge it to a new confrontation, saying something like: “you beat us last year, but we challenge you to try to do the same because, not only will you not succeed, but we will certainly pass over you”, emulating the historic duels so common in past centuries.
In a festive but challenging atmosphere, a representative of each crew read a text stating their intentions. This year, Engineers read first, as the crew that did not win the previous edition. They had the support of their godmother, Eva Ferreira, professor of Statistics and rector of the University of the Basque Country in the period 2021-2024.
Deusto accepted the challenge and colleted the paddle launched by Ingenieros, supported by its sponsor José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, president of Deusto Business School (DBS).
After the reading of the challenges, a two-peseta coin minted during the Republic by the Basque Government was tossed into the air. Whoever makes the right choice will be able to choose the street to row in on the day of the Regatta, April 4.
Indoor rowing race
The fans will heat up the atmosphere with an indoor rowing race in which two pairs of amateurs will fight for the best time, representing and encouraging the School of Engineering of Bilbao and the University of Deusto. The screen will be reflecting the progress of those rowing on land, who will see how demanding this sport is and who will fight for the victory of their group to be a premonition of the outcome of the Regatta.
EList of sponsors of the Desafio from 1998 to 2025
