It is an elegant and demanding water sports, combining endurance and speed. This long-term sprint imposes an unbridled pace and demands an exemplary physical condition, as Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympics, points out:"The rower... does the most complete gymnastics that can be imagined"
Definition of rowing
This sport consists of moving forward a long and tapered boat at full speed, back in the direction of the race. It is practiced toone, two, four or eight rowers. There are two categories: cutting-edge rowing (the rowers usea single row, about 3,5-4 meters(which they hold with two hands) and couple rowing (two oars, one in each hand, about 3 m each).
The origins of this sport
The first traces of rowing date back to ancient times. The historical stories and remains of Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations refer to the use of similar boats, then used as means of transport. It became a sporting practice in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was first practiced in England, then gradually extended to the rest of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. The progress in shipbuilding makes sailing vessels more efficient and they become the most widely used means of navigation. However, they did not replace rowing boats and many vessels sailed in a mixed manner.
London's river taxis carried out the first rowing races on the Thames. Now very popular, this sport became widespread and arrived in France in the first half of the 19th century. The first races in Paris took place in the years 1830-1840. Artists, especially painters, contribute to the reputation of this activity, which is then called "cantage". The practice spreads, the construction sites flourish and canoes are seen navigating all the rivers of France, as evidenced by many paintings of the time.
This fashionable activity is then performed in several ways. The "walking" canoeing is that of nature lovers, who admire and enjoy its wonders gently, along the water. The "chicken and flamboyant" one is the one of the partyers who like to be noticed. It is the "serious" canoeing, in opposition to the boating of the flamber, deemed discrediting for the discipline, which gave birth to modern rowing, with the first races and the first "clubs".
The Société des Régates du Havre is the first organization of enthusiasts. It was founded in 1838 and was quickly followed by others in the major cities. Responsible for organising races and ensuring good practice and fair play, sport and its practice are evolving through regulation that allows for the diversification of races and boats.
The French Federation of Aviron
The lack of cohesion between the clubs and the specific regulations of each of them makes it difficult to achieve national unity around rowing. After heated discussions and numerous disagreements, however, three federations managed to hear and created the FFSA, Fédération Française des Sociétés d'Aviron, which was founded in 1890. Only two years later the International Federation of Aviron Societies, founded jointly by France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, was born, and it organizes European championships open to all in order to counterbalance certain rowing competitions deemed elitist. In 1896, the FFSA joined forces with Pierre de Coubertin to revive the Olympic Games. The weather will unfortunately lead to the cancellation of the event, which was to take place in the bay of Piraeus, and it is only in 1900 that the rowron will make its official entrance to the Olympic Games. It was not until 1976 that women's events appeared at the Olympics.
The Olympic events are as follows:
- a couple rower
- two rowers in pairs
- four rowers in pairs
- two torque light weight
- eight pointer with barber
- Two pointers without barber.
There are two additional tests for men:
- the four leading without barber
- the four leading edge without light weight barmer
Although the two wars are a difficult period for sport, discipline continues to live and evolve. The licence was introduced in 1919, and in 1941 it was the classification by age categories that made its appearance.
After the general debacle of France in all disciplines at the 1960 Olympics, the FFSA, like all other sports, is equipped with technical and financial means to improve the structures, training and performance of athletes. Since then, the organisation of federations has ceased to be renewed, in order to ensure an accessible practice and to achieve the best results in international competitions.
The Champions of Discipline
The undisputed champion of rowing remains to this day Sir Steve Redgrave, nicknamed "Athlete of the Century". He won 5 gold medals in five editions of the Olympics, and was crowned six times world champion. In the women's category, Lipa had nothing to envy, since she also won five gold medals between 1984 and 2004.