Rowing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Rowing events for men were first held at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, while women’s events were first included in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

Here’s all you need to know about rowing at Paris 2024.

Olympic rowing schedule, venue and distance

A maximum of 502 rowers will compete in 14 events from Saturday, 27 July to Saturday, 3 August.

There are seven events for men and seven for women – with the medals decided over the last four days.

Great Britain have qualified crews in 10 events and have a team of 42 in France.

Races will take place in six lanes over a straight 2,000m course at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

Located on the outskirts of eastern Paris, the venue was completed in 2019 and can accommodate up to 24,000 spectators.

How does Olympic rowing work?

There are two types of rowing – sweep, where each competitor uses a single oar, and sculling, where rowers have two oars.

Boat crews range from single-seater to teams of eight and there are two lightweight events, where the weight of contestants is restricted.

The eight-person crews have a cox, who steers the boat and directs the crew. All the other events are coxless, with rowers responsible for steering their own boat.

How do repechages work in Olympic rowing?

Some rowers will advance directly to the semi-finals or finals from their heats, while some will get a second chance to qualify via the repechage round.

What are Great Britain’s medal chances?

Great Britain topped the medal table at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016 but failed to win a gold at Tokyo 2020 and finished 14th overall.

Britain have rebuilt their team since Tokyo and have the current world champions in the men’s four, men’s eight, women’s lightweight double sculls and women’s quadruple sculls.

Lightweight double scullers Imogen Grant and Emily Craig missed out on a medal following a photo finish in Tokyo but have not lost since.

The men’s four of Oliver Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson are also unbeaten.

Meanwhile, double Olympic champion and mum-of-three Helen Glover, 38, is hoping to win her third gold as part of the women’s four.

Glover and Heather Stanning won back-to-back golds in 2012 and 2016, becoming the first British women to win an Olympic rowing title when they triumphed in the women’s pair in London.

The men’s pair of Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith are another unbeaten crew this year and have a good chance of winning gold.

The GB team also features brother and sister Tom and Emily Ford, who are competing in the eights, and another mum in Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne.

Who has won the most Olympic rowing medals for Team GB?

Sir Steve Redgrave is Britain’s most-decorated Olympic rower with five gold medals and a bronze from five successive Games.

Sir Matthew Pinsent, who will be part of BBC Sport’s commentary team in France, won four golds, three of them alongside Redgrave.

Dame Katherine Grainger is Britain’s most-decorated female rower with a gold and four silvers from five successive Games.

Great Britain are third behind the United States and East Germany in the all-time Olympic rowing medal table, with a total of 31 golds.