about para rowing

Para rowing is a sport demanding endurance, strength, coordination, and team cohesion. The 2,000-metre race is contested across six lanes. Athletes are classified into three categories: PR1 single sculls, PR 2 double sculls, PR 3 double sculls and coxed four.

PR 1 athletes compete in single sculls with limited trunk/leg function. These competitors use two oars and are secured to their boat to provide stability.

PR 2 and PR 3 athletes have variations of limited leg function, from severe to slight limited mobility. Both classes compete in mixed double sculls and rely on two oars with sliding seats, helpful for power.

In coxed four, four PR 3 rowers, of which two are men and two are women compete in a boat with one oar each. In addition to the Paralympians, a coxswain – who can be without a disability – is seated on the boat in charge of steering, observing the path, and keeping watch of other boats.

In a competition, athletes first compete in heats/repechage that determine the top three athletes who advance to the finals in a race for gold.

Para Rowing History

Rowing has a long history, being used functionally as early as the 25th century BCE and first taking place in competition in the 16th century.

Para rowing began development in 1927 in Great Britain at a school for vision impaired students. The headmaster of this school challenged his students to race against sighted opponents, pushing for the development of the sport.

Para rowing grew steadily throughout the 1900s, especially amongst communities of World War II veterans. By the 1970s, countries such as Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA adopted Para rowing, eventually leading to the first international rowing federation recognised World Cup in 1991.

FISA, the sport’s governing body, created a Para rowing commission in 2001 to establish regulations for competition and forge a path towards Paralympic Games inclusion and participation.

The efforts of the Para rowing commission paid off when the IPC included Para rowing in the sport programme for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, featuring four events and 90 athletes.

Para rowing followed the same format until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games when the distance was doubled, defining the 2,000-metre distance currently contested.

Until Tokyo 2020 each Paralympic Games featured four events. The Paris 2024 Games added one more event - PR 3 mixed double sculls. LA28 will be the first games in which five Para rowing events are presented, each with gender parity

DID YOU KNOW?

In coxed four competition, one of the five team members can be without a disability. The coxswain who acts as the eyes and direction maker of the boat may or may not have a disability