>>reporter: however, even with comprehensive tv coverage via eurosport and 20 national broadcasters, the sport is currently struggling to find a title sponsor in these unnaturally becalmed times. >>oswald: rowing has been hit by the global recession and a number of sponsors with whom we were discussing and had given us good hope that they would support the sport of rowing but after a while they decided not to do so, therefore it's a difficult time for us >>reporter: which is perhaps surprising given the positive environmental message, rowing is a clean water sport,and the very clearly defined and appealing demographic. >>cooper: the audience that we approach is one which is welleducated, wellinformed, earns good money and influential in the bigger picture of business life. so it's a sport which we can't say that we appeal to the mass market but we know who we approach and they are the people that we are now targeting >>reporter: on a positive note, however, the sport is managing to row into previously uncharted international waters, with 130 national federations worldwide, opposed to