Rowing in the service of the healthcare system
The Nereida Project is a pioneering initiative in Barcelona that offers rowing as a complementary therapy for women undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Founded in 2024 by Sonia Güell
The Project was established as a not-for-profit organisation in 2026. It enjoys institutional support from the Union of Sports Federations of Catalonia (UFEC) and the Catalan Rowing Federation. Nereida operates through agreements with hospitals and clubs. It currently works in partnership with Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Club Natació Barcelona and the Real Club Maritim de Barcelona, and counts MB92, Javier Güell Cardiology and the La Caixa Foundation as its main sponsors.
Nereida takes a holistic approach, combining medicine and sport to improve patients’ physical and emotional health. The programme, which is completely free of charge, consists of three weekly sessions (two indoors using rowing machines and one outdoors on the water), totalling 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous exercise at the facilities of Club Natació Barcelona and the Real Club Maritim de Barcelona.
Key Benefits
– Prevention of lymphoedema: the position of the arms whilst rowing promotes circulation and helps prevent this common condition.
– Low impact on joints: it is a safe form of exercise during medical treatment.
– Strengthening: it helps restore mobility, improve the appearance of scars and strengthen muscles.
– Emotional wellbeing: it fosters teamwork and promotes a sense of mental focus similar to mindfulness.
Without a doubt, rowing whilst living with breast cancer boosts the physical and emotional wellbeing of those affected. Furthermore, the project enables research into the positive impact of physical exercise during cancer treatment.
When the programme ends, we provide guidance to participants so they can continue growing at a club, building a sense of community and team spirit.
Objectives
– To improve and transform the lives of breast cancer patients – with a view to extending this to other forms of cancer in the future – through a culture of sport.
– To promote research projects into the impact of rowing on breast cancer patients.
– To foster stable collaborative links between the healthcare system and organised sport.
The Nereida team consists of: Sonia Güell, founder, sports director and promoter of the Nereida Project; Dr Sonia Servitja, Medical Director at Hospital del Mar; Gloria Martín, a doctor with experience in the field of nephrology and a veteran rower at the Real Club Maritim de Barcelona; and Carla Fluxà, a coach, fitness trainer and specialist physiotherapist.
