Rowing: Then and now

Rowing is known for legendary displays of strength and stamina.

The first Rowing races took 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.

How to play – and win

There are two types of Rowing at the Olympic Games: Sweep Rowing and Sculling.

Sweep Rowers use a single oar. They compete in crews of two, four or eight – the eight is steered by a ‘cox’, who also gives the crew directions.

Scullers have an oar in each hand, and so can compete alone, as well as in doubles and quads.

There are events for both Heavyweight and Lightweight Rowers, and crews race in six lanes over a 2,000m flat-water course, usually on a lake.

Speed and stamina are the keys to success – top rowers complete 40-45 strokes a minute towards the end of a race.

Rowing at the Games

Rowing has been included in the programme for every modern Olympic Games, but rough seas caused the event to be cancelled at Athens 1896.

Women’s races were introduced at the Montreal 1976 Games, with the first Lightweight events staged at Atlanta 1996.

The introduction of Lightweight categories 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.

Facts about Rowing

• 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.
• Rowing is the only sport where competitors cross the finish line backwards.
• Physiologists say rowing 2,000m is equivalent to playing back-to-back Basketball games.
• Dr Benjamin Spock, the famous child development expert, won Olympic gold in the Men’s Eight at the 1924 Paris Games.
• Modern Rowing boats are made from a state-of-the-art fibreglass compound.
• The closest finish to an Olympic Rowing race came in the Men’s Single Sculls event at the Sydney 2000 Games. Less than two seconds separated the medallists, with New Zealand’s Rob Waddell winning gold.
• 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.

Jargon buster

• Catch a crab: To make a faulty stroke.
• Bowside: All the members of a Sweep boat crew whose oars are in the water on the left side of the boat.
• Regatta: An organised event for boat racing between crews.
• Rating: The number of strokes a crew rows per minute.
• Full paddle: The top level of exertion a crew can manage.

Get involved

To find your nearest boat club, get in touch with The Amateur Rowing Association (ARA).

The ARA is also running ‘Project Oarsome’ – a scheme to help young people at state schools in the United Kingdom get started in Rowing. For more infomation, see 'related websites'.