Bad weather kept rowing out of the 1896 Olympics. It has been a foundational part of the Olympic schedule ever since.
The sport is not exactly a major betting attraction most of the time, but it attracts more viewers and bettors for the Games.
We would advise anyone considering embarking on rowing live betting or futures betting to learn everything they can about the sport.
You never know which pieces of information could be useful when trying to find the best value bets.
History
Records of ‘oarmanship’ date back to the Ancient Egyptians. Proper evidence of competitive rowing is considerably more recent, with boat races between Venetians in the 13th century.
Professional watermen, who ran taxi and ferry services along the Thames, began racing in the 1700s, with the Doggett’s Coat and Bridges still being competed to this day.
Rowing became a competitive sport around the same time in America. Crowds begun to grow for the events in the UK, with money being wagered, and wealthy people funding the sport.
University boat races took off during the 1800s. Brasenose and Jesus Colleges at Oxford both stake a claim as the oldest boat clubs in the world.
The first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race was held in 1829, and led directly to the first Regatta being hosted by Henley-on-Thames nine years later.
Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron is rowing’s governing body. The first European Championships were held in 1893, followed by the first World Championship in 1962.
Germany, the USA, and Great Britain were all at the forefront of rowing evolving into more than a hobby, with each country possessing some of the world’s oldest, most prestigious rowing clubs.
Unlike other sports, women’s rowing began relatively soon after men’s. The first women’s club was founded in 1896, and the first international races took place at the 1954 European Championships.
Rules
Rowing requires that the oars are connected to the boat using rowlocks. This is one key differential between paddling sports. Races are simple – the team that gets to the finish line first wins the race.
Sculling and sweep rowing make up the two categories of rowing. Sculling is when each rower holds two oars, while sweep rowing sees a rower hold one oar with both hands.
There is a full range of different rowing events, starting with single skulls with one rower up to eights, featuring eight rowers and a coxswain. The majority of major events, like the Olympics, are held on two kilometres of calm waters.
Olympic rowing is conducted from a standing start with teams side-by-side. There are heats that eventually build towards a final.
Teams are allowed on false start. A second false start results in disqualification.
Scoring
Scoring for rowing doesn’t require much calculation. A timer starts at the beginning of the race and will register when each boat crosses the line.
The boat to finish the course in the fastest time will win the race.
Course Size & Dimensions
A standard rowing course is generally 1.2 miles (two kilometres) long. Several lanes will be marked using buoys.
There are longer races, such as the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race and the Harvard-Yale Boat Race. The Henley Royal Regatta is also held over a non-standard distance.
Equipment
Rowing boats are long, sturdy, and generally close to a semi-circle in shape. The length of them varies depending on the class being competed in. World Rowing also specifies minimum weights for each class.
There is a fin at the back of the boats to prevent rolling and improve stability. The shell of the boats are generally made of composite materials, but they were previously built from wood. Alterations can be made to the rigging of the boat depending on the physiques of the rowers.
Oars are between 250 and 300 centimetres long for sculling and 340 and 360 centimetres for sweep.
There is one flat end around 50 centimetres long. Naturally, indoor rowing machines are often used for training.
Most Successful Countries at the Olympics
The United States are the most decorated nation in the history of Olympic rowing with 89 medals, 33 of which were gold.
Great Britain sit in second place with 19 fewer medals but only two fewer golds. Seven other countries have 40 or more medals in their history.
Eastern European countries have dominated women’s rowing. Romanian Elisabeta Lipă is the most successful rower of all-time with eight total medals, putting her two ahead of Great Britain’s Steve Redgrave.
Five other Romanian women have five or more Olympic medals to their name.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
