Rowing events have been on every Olympic schedule, but were canceled due to bad weather in the inaugural 1896 Games. Only men competed in rowing until the 1976 Montreal Games when women took part for the first time.

The races are divided into sculling and sweep oar. Sculling events see each rower using two oars, while in sweep each rower holds one. The eight-person crews have a coxswain, who steers the boat and directs the crew, but in all other boats a rower steers by controlling a small rudder with a foot pedal.

All rowing races take place over a 2,000-meter course and there are 14 events: men’s single sculls, double sculls, quadruple sculls, coxless pair, coxless four and eights; lightweight men: double sculls, coxless four; women: single sculls, double sculls, quadruple sculls, coxless pair and eights; and lightweight women: double sculls.

Rowing events take place from July 24 to July 31, with medal events taking place on the final four days.

Venue information and access

Rowing will take place at the Sea Forest Waterway, a new area of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay that has a capacity of 16,000. The venue is about 20 minutes from the Kankyokyoku-chubo-godochosha Mae on Toei Bus Nami  No. 1 that runs past Telecom Center Station on the Yurikamome Line, Tokyo’s first fully automated train that runs between Shimbashi and Toyosu via Odaiba, a large man-made island in Tokyo Bay that features a mix of commercial, residential and leisure properties.