Olympic Games： Rowing

　　Originated in England. In the 17th century, boatmen on the Thames often held boat races. In 1715, the first rowing competition was held to celebrate the coronation of the British king. In 1775, Britain formulated the rules of rowing competition and established the rowing club in the same year. In 1811, Eton College held the first eight-person rowing competition. In 1829, Oxford University and Cambridge University held the first inter-school rowing competition. In 1839, the rowing cup was held. In 1846, the British installed a paddle rack on the side of the boat, which lengthened the length of the paddle and improved the rowing effect. In 1847, the outer keel boat with overlapping plates was converted into a smooth inner keel boat, which improved the speed of rowing. In 1857, Babcock of the United States invented the sliding seat (said to be invented by Belgian athletes in 1865). When rowing, athletes can move back and forth to increase their leg strength. In 1882, the Russians changed the closed paddle into a movable paddle ring, which increased the rowing range. Rowing is similar to weaving shuttle, with two sharp and narrow ends. The materials, shapes and sizes of boats, paddles and paddle racks are not limited in principle, and are usually made of aluminum alloy or glass fiber reinforced plastic. The boat is equipped with a seat plate with pulleys, which can slide on two tracks. When rowing, athletes push their legs and pull their arms. Rowing is divided into events according to the number of passengers, weight, whether there is a helmsman or not, and whether to use single paddle or double paddle. The lightest weight of the helmsman is 50 kg for men and 45 kg for women. When the weight is insufficient, corresponding weights should be added and placed in the nearest place to the helmsman.Men have 10 events: single sculls, double sculls, lightweight double sculls, double single sculls without helmsman, double single sculls with helmsman, four single sculls without helmsman, lightweight single sculls with helmsman, four single sculls with helmsman and eight single sculls with helmsman, while women have single sculls, double sculls, lightweight double sculls, double single sculls without helmsman and four people. The race is 2000 meters for men and 1000 meters for women. Each channel is 2200 meters long and 12.5~15.0 meters wide, with 6 channels in general and 8 channels at most. Athletes must complete the race in their own channel. The ranking is determined by the order in which the bow reaches the finish line. Men’s rowing was listed as an event in the first Olympic Games in 1896, but it was not held because of the waves, and it was listed again in 1900. Women’s rowing was included in the Olympic Games in 1976.

　　In the 28th Olympic Games in 2004, there were men’s single sculls, double sculls without helmsman, double sculls, four single sculls without helmsman, four single sculls with helmsman, eight single sculls with helmsman, lightweight double sculls and lightweight four single sculls without helmsman. Women’s single sculls, double sculls, double sculls without a helmsman, four sculls with a helmsman, eight sculls with a helmsman, lightweight sculls with 14 events, a total of 275 athletes participated. The entry qualification is based on boats, and each association has a maximum of one boat for each event. There are three ways to qualify for the competition: first, the 1999 World Championship, second, the Olympic qualifiers in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and finally, the qualifiers held in Europe where all associations except Africa, Asia and Latin America can participate.

　　The rowing competition of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games will be held in the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Center for 8 days, from August 15th to 22nd. It is estimated that 550 male and female experts from all over the world will participate in the competition, including 358 male players and 192 female players.

　　The single sculls boat is 8 meters long, 20 centimeters wide, and the lightest weight is 14 kilograms. There is an oar on each side of the boat. When rowing, the athletes turn their backs to the bow, sit on the seat plate that slides back and forth, and push their legs and pull their arms. Use the power of the left and right paddles to control the course. Men’s and women’s single sculls were listed as Olympic events in 1900 and 1976 respectively.

　　The double sculls are 9.90 meters long, 35 centimeters wide and 27 kilograms lightest. There are two oars on each side of the boat. When rowing, two athletes sit back and forth on the sliding seat board, with their legs pedaled and their arms pulled, and paddle in coordination. Use the power of the left and right paddles to control the course. Men’s and women’s sculls were listed as Olympic events in 1904 and 1976 respectively.

　　The coxswain with double oars and single oar is 9.90 meters long, 35 centimeters wide and the lightest weight is 27 kilograms. Paddle racks are installed on both sides of the boat, with one paddle on the front left and one paddle on the rear right. There is a rudder at the stern, and the athlete controls the direction with his feet. When rowing, two athletes sit back and forth on the sliding seat board, with their legs pedaled and their arms pulled, and paddle in coordination. Men’s and women’s double single oar helmsman were listed as Olympic events in 1900 and 1976 respectively.

　　A double oar with a helmsman is 10 meters long, 35 centimeters wide and the lightest weight is 32 kilograms. There are paddle racks on both sides of the boat, with one paddle on the front left and one paddle on the rear right. The bow or stern of the boat has a rudder, and the athlete controls the direction with his feet. When rowing, two athletes sit back and forth on the sliding seat, their legs are pushed and their arms are pulled, and they paddle in coordination. A helmsman uses the rudder to control the direction. Men’s and women’s double oar helmsman were listed as Olympic events in 1900 and 1976 respectively.

　　The four-person sculls are 12.50m long, 49cm wide and 52kg lightest. The two sides of the boat are equipped with four auxiliary paddles in turn, and the stern of the boat is equipped with a steel cable soft handle rudder. When rowing, four athletes are seated in front of each other, each holding a pair of paddles, pulling their legs and arms, and rowing in coordination. Among them, rower No.1 controls the course with his right foot. Only for men, it was listed as an Olympic event in 1976.

　　The four-person single-oar helmsman is 12.50 meters long, 49 centimeters wide and 50 kilograms lightest. The two sides of the boat are crossed with four auxiliary paddles with rudders. When rowing, four athletes sit back and forth, each holding an oar, pulling their legs and arms, and rowing in coordination. One of them steered with his feet to control the course. Only for men, it was listed as an Olympic event in 1900.

　　The four-person single oar has a helmsman with a length of 13.25 meters, a width of 49 centimeters and a minimum weight of 51 kilograms. Four auxiliary paddles are crossed on both sides of the boat. A rudder is installed at the bow or stern of the boat. When rowing, four athletes sit back and forth, each holding an oar, pulling their legs and arms, and rowing in coordination. The helmsman controls the course. Men’s and women’s four-person single oar with helmsman were listed as Olympic events in 1900 and 1976 respectively. Eight people with a single paddle have a helmsman. The coxswain is 17 meters long, 57 centimeters wide and the lightest weight is 96 kilograms. There are eight paddle racks crossed on both sides of the boat. A rudder is installed at the bow or stern of the boat. When rowing, eight athletes sit back and forth, each holding an oar, pulling their legs and arms, and rowing in coordination. The helmsman controls the course. The No.8 athlete near the stern is the oarsman, who controls the rowing speed and rhythm. Men’s and women’s eight-person single oar helmsman were listed as Olympic events in 1900 and 1976 respectively.

　　Eight people with a single paddle have a helmsman. The coxswain is 17 meters long, 57 centimeters wide and the lightest weight is 96 kilograms. There are 8 paddle racks crossed on both sides of the boat. A rudder is installed at the bow and stern of the boat. When rowing, eight athletes sit back and forth, each holding an oar, pulling their legs and arms, and rowing in coordination. The helmsman controls the course. The No.8 athlete near the stern is the oarsman, who controls the rowing speed and rhythm. Men’s and women’s eight-person single oar helmsman were listed as Olympic events in 1900 and 1976 respectively. (Information according to the Chinese Olympic Committee)