Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is divided into two disciplines: sculling and sweep rowing. In sculling, each rower holds two oars, one in each hand, while in sweep rowing each rower holds one oar with both hands. There are several boat classes in which athletes may compete, ranging from single sculls, occupied by one person, to shells with eight rowers and a coxswain, called eights. There are a wide variety of course types and formats of racing, but most elite and championship level racing is conducted on calm water courses 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long with several lanes marked using buoys.
Rowing has been part of the Summer Olympics since its debut in the 1900 Games. Rowing was on the program at the 1896 Summer Olympics but was cancelled due to bad weather. Only men were allowed to compete until the women's events were introduced at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal which gave national federations the incentive to support women's events and catalysed growth in women's rowing. Lightweight rowing events were introduced to the games in 1996. Qualifying for the rowing events is under the jurisdiction of the World Rowing Federation. World Rowing predates the modern Olympics and was the first international sport federation to join the modern Olympic movement.
In a rowing crew, the coxswain is the member who does not row but steers the boat and faces forward, towards the bow. The coxswain is responsible for steering the boat and coordinating the power and rhythm of the rowers. In some capacities, the coxswain is responsible for implementing the training regimen or race plan. Most coaches cannot communicate to boat/coxswain, so the coxswain is the "coach" in the boat. A coxswain is necessary in the first place because the rowers sit with their backs to the direction of travel.
Alf John Hansen is a retired rower from Norway. Early in his career, he received two Norwegian sport awards shared with his brother Frank. Towards the end of his career in 1990, he was the inaugural recipient of the Thomas Keller Medal, the highest honour in rowing. His international rowing career spanned more than two decades.
Nicolaas "Nico" Hessel Rienks is a former rower from the Netherlands and two-time Olympic gold medallist.
Henk-Jan Zwolle is a former rower from the Netherlands and two-time Olympic medallist. He competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988.
The Ghent Student Regatta was a boat race for students in April 2008 at Portus Ganda in the heart of historical Ghent in Dutch-speaking Flanders, Belgium. It was an initiative of Paul Van Cauwenberge, the Rector of Ghent University, in collaboration with Ghent Students Rowing, the sports department of the City and Patrick Rombaut, Umpiring Commission Chairman of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA).
Students Rowing in Flanders is a rowing association in Flanders, Belgium, established by students in 2004. The association organizes various student clubs or higher education institutions that operate as student-run rowing clubs in Flanders.
The 1999 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 22 to 29 August 1999 at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
The East-Flemish Rowing League (EFRL) is a member of the Flemish Rowing League, the first federalised sports league of Belgium. It is a member of the Belgian Royal Rowing Federation, which in turn is also a founding member of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA), the oldest Olympic international sports federation.
The International regatta KRC Ghent is an international rowing regatta held by Royal Club Nautique de Gand (KRCG) in Ghent, Belgium. It is one of the oldest and largest rowing regattas held in Belgium and has been held since 1897.
Helma Neppérus is a Dutch politician and former tax inspector and rower. As a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy she was an MP between 30 November 2006 and 23 March 2017. She focused on matters of taxation.
Hollandia Roeiclub (HRC) is a Dutch rowing club based in Utrecht open to current members and former members of the Dutch national rowing team.
The Royal Netherlands Yacht Club is a Dutch yacht club and rowing club based in Muiden. It has two marinas: in Muiden and in Enkhuizen.
Women's rowing is the participation of women in the sport of rowing. Women row in all boat classes, from single scull to eights, across the same age ranges and standards as men, from junior amateur through university-level to elite athlete. Typically men and women compete in separate crews although mixed crews and mixed team events also take place. Coaching for women is similar to that for men.
Willem-Alexander Baan is an artificial lake in the Dutch village of Zevenhuizen near Rotterdam. It has been used as a rowing regatta venue since 2012 and hosted the 2016 World Rowing Championships.
Sam Bosworth is a New Zealand coxswain. He is an Olympic champion and was the first male coxswain to win an international elite rowing event in a female crew.
Alwin Snijders is a Dutch lightweight rower. He won a gold medal at the 2007 World Rowing Championships in Munich with the lightweight men's eight.
Arnoud Greidanus is a Dutch lightweight rower. He won a gold medal at the 2007 World Rowing Championships in Munich with the lightweight men's eight. In 2012 he won a silver medal at the 2012 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv with the lightweight men's pair, together with Joris Pijs.
The Netherlands 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. Dutch athletes have competed at every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis and 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which the Netherlands boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
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