Rowing is an Olympic sport and is, in essence, a competitive sport.
However, the Olympic Games are far from being the only event where top rowers can compete. The World Championships are particularly prestigious. So are some university competitions, such as the annual Varsity boat race on the Thames between the Cambridge University team and the Oxford University team. In Belgium, the various types of competitions are organised at club, league or federation level.
The UNB is affiliated to the French-speaking rowing league (LFA). Together with the other community league, the Flemish Rowing League (Vlaamse Roeiliga), the LFA forms the Royal Belgian Rowing Federation (FRBA), or Koninklijke Belgische Roeibond (KBR). UNB rowers regularly defend the club's colours in interclub competitions, in regattas organised by the league or at federal level. The most talented are allowed to participate in international competitions.