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Olympics-Factbox on rowing

Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:01pm EDT

Factbox on rowing at the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics:

Russia

HISTORY

The first recorded rowing competition took place in 1716 in England, where the sport went on to become famous through the race held every year between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, which began in 1829.

The International Rowing Federation (FISA) was founded in 1892 and is the oldest international sports federation in the Olympic movement.

Bad weather and a lack of international participation meant rowing was cancelled at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It made its first appearance in Paris four years later. Women's rowing has been included in the Games since 1976.

EVENTS

Fourteen boat classes are raced: eight sculling events, in which each rower uses two oars, and six sweep-oared events in which the rower grips one oar with both hands.

Boat sizes range from the lightweight double scull to the eight with coxswain in the sweep rowing event.

Races cover 2,000 metres with six competition lanes.

Men: Single sculls, double sculls, lightweight double sculls, pair, four, lightweight four, eight with coxswain.

Women: Single sculls, double sculls, lightweight double sculls, quadruple sculls, pair, eight with coxswain.

OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION

A total of 550 athletes will take part.

2004 CHAMPIONS

Men

Single sculls: Olaf Tufte (Norway)

Double sculls: Sebastien Vieilledent/Adrien Hardy (France)

Lightweight double sculls: Tomasz Kucharski/Robert Sycz

(Poland)

Quadruple sculls: Russia

Coxless pairs: Drew Ginn/James Tomkins (Australia)

Lightweight fours: Denmark

Coxless fours: Britain

Eights: United States

Women

Single sculls: Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski (Germany)

Double sculls: Georgina Evers-Swindell/Caroline

Evers-Swindell (New Zealand)

Lightweight double sculls: Constanta Burcica/Angela Alupei

(Romania)

Quadruple sculls: Germany

Coxless pairs: Georgeta Damian/Viorica Susanu (Romania)

Eights: Romania

OLYMPIC PROGRAMME (FINALS ONLY)

Aug. 16 - women's single sculls, men's single sculls, women's pair, men's pair, women's double sculls, men's double sculls, men's four

Aug. 17 - women's lightweight double sculls, men's lightweight double sculls, men's lightweight four, women's quadruple sculls, men's quadruple sculls, women's eight, men's eight

VENUE

Shunyi Olympic rowing-canoeing park

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

www.worldrowing.com
Russia


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