Olympic Event: Rowing
Type: Sporting Event
Dorney
Windsor
Berkshire
SL4 6QP
Click to enlarge images:
London 2012
The Olympic Rowing events will take place from Saturday 28th July until Sunday 5th August at Eton Dorney Rowing Lake. There will be 14 medals available in 2012 between sculling (rower has an oar in each hand) and sweep oar (rower has one oar), with heavy and lightweight divisions. Head-to-head races are held over 2,000 metres.
Men’s Events
• Coxless pair
• Double sculls
• Eight with coxswain
• Four without coxswain
• Lightweight coxless four
• Lightweight double sculls
• Quadruple sculls without coxswain
• Single sculls
Women’s Events
• Double sculls
• Eight with coxswain
• Lightweight double sculls
• Pair without coxswain
• Quadruple sculls without coxswain
• Single sculls
The Sport
With an oar stroke rate of up to 47 strokes per minute rowing is known for its display of stamina and strength. Rowing has been an event at every modern Olympic games, with a women’s competition was added in 1976.
The History
Rowing races are known to have taken place on the River Thames in Shakespeare’s time, when Londoners bet on the ferries crossing between the banks. The sport developed its modern form during the 19th century, after universities adopted it as a competitive event. So began a tradition that remains to this day with the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge university students
Rowing has been included in the programme for every modern Olympic Games. Women’s races were introduced at the Montreal 1976 Games.
The introduction of Lightweight categories from the Atlanta Games has led to an increase in the number of countries achieving medal success at the Games, although traditional Rowing nations such as Great Britain and Germany remain strong.
Did you know?
-Rowing is the only sport where competitors cross the finish line backwards.
-The oldest Olympic Rowing champion was Great Britain’s Guy Nickalls who was 41 when he won gold at London 1908. The youngest Olympic gold medallist ever is thought to be a young Dutch boy who was pulled from the crowd at the Paris 1900 Games to act as a cox for the Dutch Pairs crew. His name and age were never recorded, but photographs suggest he was seven to nine years old.
-Modern Rowing boats are made from a state-of-the-art fibreglass compound.
-The first Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race took place in 1828.
-Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, was a competitive rower. Dr Benjamin Spock, the famous child development expert, won Olympic gold in the Men’s Eight at the 1924 Paris Games.
-Physiologists say rowing 2,000m is equivalent to playing back-to-back Basketball games.
