It was an initiative of Paul Van Cauwenberge, the Rector of Ghent University, in collaboration with Ghent Students Rowing, the sports department of the City and Patrick Rombaut, Umpiring Commission Chairman of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA).
The idea came from the Mercedes Benz FISA World Rowing Sprints at Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park in London back in 2002.
The Temple Challenge Cup and the Boat Race have been established as examples.
The tournament was opened by an International sprint race in teams of eight by the University of Leiden, Magdalen College, Oxford, and Trinity College, Cambridge and eight rowers from Ghent made out of two of the three local open associations.
The National race in four, done by Sport Nautique Universitaire de Bruxelles, Limburg Association (Hasselt, near Maastricht) and Ghent Students Rowing, was previously a Belgian version of the Dutch so called Non-fanatical Competition — and Regional students rowing category, organised by their NSRF and the Nationaal Overleg Orgaan Competitieroeien (NOOC).