Rowing: Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021

One of the few Olympic sports subject to weather and pristine conditions, rowing is all set to take place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It is a sport that sees the first and third words of the Olympic Motto (Citius and Fortius) come to the fore. Following its cancellation (because of bad weather) at Athens in 1896, rowing has been successfully conducted at every subsequent Olympics Games. Women's rowing events began with the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. 

The most successful nation in Olympic rowing is the USA with 89 medals (33 Gold, 32 Silver, and 24 Bronze). Rowing's most successful competitor is Romania's Elisabeta Lipa who competed in six Olympic Games from Los Angeles 1984 to Athens 2004. She claimed medals, competing in both sculls and sweep events.  

What began as a five-event program in the Paris Olympics in 1900, currently has 14 medal events as part of its program for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. 

Rowing at the Tokyo 2020

The biggest change in the rowing program at the 2020 Olympiad will see 14 events split equally between men's and women's events. The men's lightweight four made way for the women's four. 

Top Rowers at the Tokyo Olympics

Team USA will send in a squad of 37 rowers. This will include the likes of Austin Hack (men's eight), Kara Kohler (Single Sculls), Dr. Genevra Stone (Double Sculls).

Meghan Musnicki (Women's eight) will seek to stand on the podium for the third time at an Olympic Games. Previously, she claimed medals in London and Rio. Hence, she is a two-time defending champion. Moe Sbihi, who claimed gold in Rio in the Men's four, will return to his London 2012 event i.e. the men's eight, where he claimed Bronze. 

Australia's squad will see Joshua Booth, Cameron Girdlestone, and Alexander Hill strive to earn a medal for the second time. 

Helen Glover and Polly Swann (Women's Pair) will look to win medals once more at the Sea Forest Waterway. While the former is a two-time defending gold medalist, Swann claimed silver at Rio 2016. The duo is among eight returning British rowers from a 45-member strong contingent.

Competition format

In rowing, a repechage event is a norm allowing all participants from the heats to earn a second shot at advancing to the next stage (quarter-final, Semi-final, or final) based on the event. 

From here, the participants compete across three more rounds in order to win a medal in the single Sculls events. In the pair, double Sculls and lightweight double sculls events, the semi-final follows the Heats and the Repechage rounds. However, in the Four, Eight, and Quadruple Sculls, the Heats and the Repechage toppers directly qualify for the finals. 

Types of Rowing

Sculling and Sweeping are the two types of Rowing events set to take place at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021. In sculls, a rower holds one oar in each hand. In sweep, a rower holds one oar with both hands. Sweep events see the rowers have a single oar that is approximately one-meter longer (3.9 m) than the oars used in scull events (3m). Both types of Rowing result in a test of timing and coordination among teammates. 

Schedule for Rowing at Tokyo 2020

As Rowing is an outdoor sport, the schedule can be subject to change because of inclement weather. However, this is the proposed schedule for the 14 events across Sculls and Sweep. 

Venue for Rowing at Tokyo Olympics

Rowing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021 will take place at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay.