World Rowing, also known as the World Rowing Federation, is the international governing body for rowing. Its current president is Jean-Christophe Rolland who succeeded Denis Oswald at a ceremony held in Lucerne in July 2014.
Richard Schmidt is a German former representative sweep-oar rower. He is a six time world champion, a four time Olympian, an Olympic gold & silver medallist and held a seat in the German senior men's eight — the Deutschlandachter — constantly from 2009 to 2021. He rowed at seven when the Deutschlandachter at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II set a world's best time of 5.18.68, which was still the standing world mark as of 2021.
Valent Sinković is a Croatian rower. He is the older brother of fellow rower Martin Sinković, with whom he has won three Olympic gold medals. The brothers are the most decorated Croatian Summer Olympians in history and won gold medals in the double sculls at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the coxless pair at the 2020 Summer Olympics and the coxless pair at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Sinković won the silver medal in the quadruple sculls at the 2012 Summer Olympics with his brother, David Šain and Damir Martin. He is a six-time world champion, twice in quadruple sculls, double sculls and coxless pair each, and seven-time European champion, with four titles in double sculls and three titles in coxless pair. Sinković is also a two-time U23 world champion in quadruple sculls with his brother, Šain and Martin.
Martin Sauer is a German former representative rowing coxswain. He was an eight-time world champion at the senior level and three-time underage world champion. He is a triple Olympian and a triple Olympic medallist. He held his seat as coxswain of the German senior men's eight — the Deutschlandachter — constantly from 2009 to 2021 and steered that crew to their six world championship titles and also when at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II they set a world's best time of 5.18.68, which still the standing world mark as of 2021.
Emma Kimberley Twigg is a New Zealand rower. A single sculler, she was the 2014 world champion and won gold in her fourth Olympics in Tokyo in July 2021. Previous Olympic appearances were in 2008, 2012, and 2016. She has retired from rowing twice, first for master-level studies in Europe in 2015 and then after the 2016 Olympics, disappointed at having narrowly missed an Olympic medal for the second time. After two years off the water, she started training again in 2018 and won silver at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. Since her marriage in 2020, she has become an outspoken advocate for LGBT athletes. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Twigg won gold in the woman's single scull. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Twigg won Silver in the same event.
Carina Bär is a German rower. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro she competed in the women's quadruple sculls competition in which the German team won the gold medal. She had previous won the silver medal in the same event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Maximilian Reinelt was a German rower and physician. He won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, as well as two World Championships and four European Championships. In 2016, he was awarded the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt, Germany's highest sports award.
Kara Michelle Kohler is an American female crew rower. She won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the quadruple sculls event. She also has a World Championship gold medal in the coxless four and a World Championship bronze in the single sculls.
Martino Goretti is an Italian representative lightweight rower, a current (2019) world champion and a dual Olympian. He has represented at senior World Rowing Championships and World Rowing Cups consistently from 2005 to 2019. He is a four time world champion at the senior level who won three titles in Italian lightweight eights from 2005 to 2009 and then in 2019 won the lightweight single scull world title. He had previously won underage world championships as a junior and an U23.
The rowing competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo took place between 23 and 30 July 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay. Fourteen medal events were contested by 526 athletes.
Kelsey Bevan is a New Zealand representative rower. She is an Olympian and a 2019 world champion winning the women's eight title at the 2019 World Rowing Championships.
Kerri Leigh Williams is a New Zealand rower. She is a national champion, an Olympic champion and double medallist, a three-time world champion and a current (2019) world champion in both the coxless pair and the women's eight. Williams was born in Raetihi in 1993. She is of Māori descent, affiliating with Rangitāne iwi. She received her education at Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton. The school first started to offer a rowing programme in 2008 and a year later, Williams took this up. At the time, she was also competing as an equestrian but soon started focussing on rowing so much that she had to choose one of the sports. Her trainer told her three weeks after she had started rowing that she would one day represent New Zealand. Jackie Gowler, her younger sister by three years, took up rowing in 2010 inspired by her success; they have both made it into the New Zealand national rowing team. Their elder sister, Jaimee Gowler, remains active with horse riding. After school, Williams became a member of the Aramoho Wanganui Rowing Club.
Malte Jakschik is a German former representative rower. He was a three time world champion, a two time Olympic silver medallist and held a seat in the German senior men's eight — the Deutschlandachter — constantly from 2014 to 2021. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he rowed in Germany's men's eight which won the silver medal. He rowed at six when the Deutschlandachter at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II set a world's best time of 5.18.68, which was still the standing world mark as of 2021. He rowed in the German men's eight at Tokyo 2021 and won a second Olympic silver medal.
Hannes Ocik is a German representative rower. He is a three-time world champion, twice an Olympic silver medallist and a five time gold medal winner at European Rowing Championships in the German senior men's eight — the Deutschlandachter. He stroked the German eight consistently from 2015 including their three world championship wins during their dominant period from 2017 to 2019. He was also at stroke at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II when the Deutschlandachter set a world's best time of 5.18.68, which was still the standing world mark as of 2021.
Felix Wimberger is a German former representative rower. He is an Olympian, was a two time senior world champion in the German men's eight - the Deutschlandachter, and a two time underage world champion. He competed in the men's coxless four event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He rowed in the two seat when the Deutschlandachter at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II set a world's best time of 5.18.68, which was still the standing world mark as of 2021.
Torben Johannesen is a German representative rower. He is an Olympic silver medallist and was a three time world champion as a member of the German men's eight — the Deutschlandachter — who dominated the men's eight event from 2017 to 2019. He rowed at four when the Deutschlandachter at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II set a world's best time of 5.18.68, which was still the standing world mark as of 2021. His older brother Eric is also a world champion rower.
This article details the qualifying phase for rowing at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The majority of the spots were awarded to the National Olympic Committees, not to specific athletes, at the 2019 World Rowing Championships, held in Ottensheim, Austria from 25 August to 1 September 2019. At the World Championships countries qualify boats rather than crews and can make crew changes for the Olympic regatta for qualified boats. Further berths are distributed to the nations at four continental qualifying regattas in Asia and Oceania, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. The last berths were distributed at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta held in Lucerne, Switzerland 15–16 May 2021.
Romania competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's participation started in 1900, Romanian athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, except for two occasions: the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles at the period of the worldwide Great Depression, and the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
Laurits Follert is a German representative rower - a world champion and an Olympic silver medallist. He won a 2019 world championship as a member of the German men's eight who took gold at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Ottensheim, Austria.
Ciprian Tudosă is a Romanian rower. Comppeting in coxless pairs, together with Marius Cozmiuc, he won silver medals at the 2018 World Rowing Championships and 2021 Summer Olympics.
