| World Rowing Championships | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Rowing World championship |
| Date(s) | Varying |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Country | Varying |
| Inaugurated | 1962 |
| Most recent | 2024 |
| Next event | 2025 |
| Organised by | World Rowing |
| Website | worldrowing |
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.
The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1962. [1] [2] The event then was held every four years until 1974, when it became an annual competition. Also in 1974, men's lightweight and women's open weight events were added to the championships.
Initially, men's events were 2000 metres long and women's events 1000 metres. At the 1984 World Championships in Montreal, Canada, women's lightweight demonstration events were raced over a 2000-metre course for the first time. In 1985, Women's lightweight events were officially added to the schedule and all mmen's and women's events were contested over a 2000-metre course.[ citation needed ]
Since 1996, during (Summer) Olympic years, the World Rowing Junior Championships are held at the same time.
In 2002, adaptive rowing events were introduced for the following classes of disability: LTA (legs, trunk and arms), TA (trunk, arms), and A (arms-only). In 2009, the A category was replaced by AS (arms and shoulders), and an ID (intellectually disabled) category was added (but then removed after the 2011 Championships). From 2017, the designations AS, TA, and LTA have been changed to PR1, PR2, and PR3. [3]
Rowing takes place in 21 different boat classes, apart from during Olympic years when only non-Olympic boat classes race. National teams generally take less interest in the non-Olympic events, as the Olympic events are considered the "premier" events.
The table below shows the boat classes, "O" indicates the boat races at both the Olympics and World Championships. "WC" indicates this is only a World Championship event. After 2007, the coxed fours (4+) no longer runs as a world championship event. Similarly after 2011 the women's coxless four was no longer included, but it was reintroduced in 2013. Lightweight men's eight was removed after 2015.
As a result of the IOC's aim for gender parity, it has been agreed that for 2020 onwards the lightweight men's coxless four will be removed from the Olympics and replaced by women's coxless four. [4]
At the 2017 FISA Ordinary Congress there were further revisions, removing M2+ and LM4- from the World Championships, and reinstating LW2-. [5]
| Boat | Men | Lwt men | Women | Lwt women | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x | Single sculls | O | WC | O | WC |
| 2x | Double sculls | O | O | O | O |
| 2- | Coxless pairs | O | WC | O | WC |
| 2+ | Coxed pairs | ||||
| 4x | Quad sculls | O | WC | O | WC |
| 4- | Coxless fours | O | O | ||
| 4+ | Coxed fours | ||||
| 8+ | Eights | O | O | ||
World Rowing Championships have been held since 1962; first every four years, then annually since 1974 (except 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
| Times hosted | Host country |
|---|---|
| 5 |  Canada |
| 4 |  Germany (including West Germany),  Great Britain,  Switzerland |
| 3 |  Austria,  Netherlands,  Yugoslavia |
| 2 |  Belgium,  Bulgaria,  Czech Republic,  Denmark,  France,  Italy,  New Zealand,  Spain,  United States |
| 1 |  Australia,  Croatia,  Finland,  Japan,  Poland,  Serbia,  Slovenia,  South Korea |
Source: [6]
Rowing (1962–2024)
| Pararowing (2002–2024)
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| Athlete | Nation | Born |  |  |  | Tot. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniele Gilardoni | Italy | 1976 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Matthew Pinsent | Great Britain | 1970 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| Steve Redgrave | Great Britain | 1962 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| Franco Sancassani | Italy | 1974 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| Francesco Esposito | Italy | 1955 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Giuseppe Di Capua | Italy | 1958 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Andrea Re | Italy | 1963 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
incomplete list
| Rower | Total | Scull | Sweep | Disciplines | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of disciplines |    | # of disciplines | | # of disciplines | | Scull | Sweep | |
| Michiel Bartman | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | M4x | M4+, M8+ |
| Karolien Florijn | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | W1x, W4x | W4- |
| Ronald Florijn | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | M2x | M4-, M8+ |
| Daniele Gilardoni | 2 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | LM4x | LM8+ |
| Mario Gyr | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | LM2x | LM4- |
| Katherine Grainger | 5 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | W1x, W2x, W4x | W2-, W8+ |
| Kathleen Heddle | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | W2x, W4x | W2-, W8+ |
 Elisabeta Lipă | 5 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 4 | W1x, W2x, W4x | W2-, W8+ |
| Marnie McBean | 5 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | W2x, W4x | W2-, W4-, W8+ |
| Nico Rienks | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | M2x | M8+ |
| Franco Sancassani | 3 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 2 | LM4x | LM2-, LM8+ |
| Simon Schürch | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | LM2x | LM4- |
| Greg Searle | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | M1x | M2+, M4-, M8+ |
| Diederik Simon | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | M4x | M8+ |
| Martin Sinković | 3 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | M2x, M4x | M2- |
| Valent Sinković | 3 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | M2x, M4x | M2- |
| Olivia van Rooijen | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | W4x | W8- |
| Henk-Jan Zwolle | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | M2x | M8+ |
| Michael Buchheit | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | LM2x | LM4-, LM8+ |
Martin and Valent Sinković are the first crew in rowing history that in the same composition won gold medals at World Championship in sweep and scull rowing. [7]
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.
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The 2011 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 28 August to 4 September 2011 at Lake Bled, adjoining the Slovenian city of Bled. The annual week-long rowing regatta is organized by World Rowing Federation (FISA), and held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer. In non-Olympic Games years the regatta is the highlight of the international rowing calendar, and in the year prior to the Olympics it is the main qualification event for the following year's Olympics.
The 2014 World Rowing Championships were the 44th edition of the World Rowing Championships and were held from 24 to 31 August 2014 at Bosbaan, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the second occasion on which the event had been held in Amsterdam, or the Netherlands.
Martin Sinković is a Croatian rower. He is the younger brother of fellow rower Valent 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.
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.
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| Australian rowing |  | |
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| Canadian rowing | ||
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