Rowing at the Summer Olympics
Olympic rowing began in 1900; women joined in 1976.
Rowing has been part of the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1900 Games, though it was scheduled for 1896 but cancelled due to bad weather. Only men competed until women's events were introduced in 1976, and lightweight events were added in 1996. The sport is governed by World Rowing, the first international sport federation to join the modern Olympic movement.
Quick Facts
- Code
- ROW (all Rowing) / RCB (Coastal Rowing)
- Sport
- rowing
- Menevents
- 7
- Mixedevents
- 1
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Rowing was on the program for the 1896 Summer Olympics but was cancelled due to bad weather. The first actual Olympic rowing competition took place in 1900 in Paris over a 1750m course. Early Games featured match races between two or three boats; the modern six-boat side-by-side format was first adopted at the 1936 Olympic Games and has been standard ever since. Men's races have been over 2000m since 1912, except for London 1948 (1850m). Women's races were 1000m until 1988, when they changed to 2000m. In 2024, World Rowing announced that the 2028 Olympics will use a 1500m course, the shortest ever for men's Olympic rowing.
Reader's Guide
Rowing's inclusion in the Olympics has driven the sport's global development, particularly after women's events were added in 1976, which catalysed growth in women's rowing. Lightweight events, introduced in 1996, were threatened in 2002 when the IOC Programme Commission recommended against weight-category events outside combat sports and weightlifting; the 2024 Olympics were the last to include lightweight rowing. Qualification is managed by World Rowing, with main qualification from the previous year's World Championships and additional Continental Qualification Regattas. The medal table after the 2024 Summer Olympics shows the leading nations, and multiple medalists include those with at least three gold medals. The sport's history includes varied race distances and formats, reflecting its evolution within the Olympic program.
Did You Know?
- Rowing was scheduled for the 1896 Olympics but cancelled due to bad weather.
- Women's events were introduced at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
- Lightweight rowing events were introduced in 1996 and ended after the 2024 Olympics.
More in Sports at the Summer Olympics 1-24
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