Rowing was used by all of the major ancient civilizations to advance their
cultures, both in peace and war. The victors of many of sea battles were
those that could outmaneuver their opponents on the water. The
Athenians frequently won because they used a form of a moving slide in
order to incorporate the oarsman legs.It was not until the 1700's that the sport became popular with ordinary citizens when watermen would race in long barges on the Thames River in England. The Thames. The oldest rowing contest in the world, held annually since 1715, is Doggett's Coat and Badge Race ..more.
In 1829, the first "Oxford-Cambridge " race took place also on the River Thames . Ten years later, the infamous "Henley Royal Regatta" began. Rowing soon appeared in the United States, highlighted by the first Harvard-Yale race in 1852 - the first organized collegiate sport in the US. The first International rowing competition was held in 1869 between Harvard and Oxford. .... more
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The
first International governing body "Fédération Internationale des
Sociétés d'Aviron", otherwise known as FISA, was founded by
representatives from France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy in Turin , in
1892 and International
championships followed in 1893. In the USA rowing became the first organized collegiate sport , complete with its own governing body. Today, men's collegiate rowing in the U.S. remains independent of the NCAA, while women's rowing became a NCAA sport in 1997. Pioneers of women's rowing in the USA formed the US National Women's Rowing Association, which in 1982 merged with the US National Association for Amateur Oarsmen to form the US Rowing Association
In Europe, the Amateur Rowing Association controls British Rowing with equivalent associations in Scotland and Wales. Spain has an English language site; other European Associations are in their own languages.
For other continents see Australia, and Canada
FISA
currently
organises the World
Cup, WorldChampionship
, Interntional
Regattas and Olympic rowing events.
Rowing News and Results. The following Magazines are a good
place to start.
Calendar. Look out for the next major events
Recommended Links for information about the sport (see also Other Links)