Rowing FISA World Championships 2022

[JoshMartini007 2,765]

44 minutes ago, Nickyc707 said:

Disappointed that GB didn't enter a women's eight and the same goes for NZ. With only six entries on the women's side I do worry about the future of this boat - and by extension the men's boat - in the Olympic programme. For me the eights are one of the blue riband events of the Games but I'm sure the IOC would be more than happy to get rid of an event involving so many athletes.

Yeah, I look forward to eights too, it's one of my favourite events at the Olympics, but the writing was on the wall for a long time. From a statistical point of view, eights by far has the least depth/participation out of all the Olympic events. Heck, even the four person boats have really low participation rates. Honestly if it wasn't for the scandals in boxing, weightlifting and to a lesser extent modern pentathlon, I'd imagine the IOC would be putting more pressure on World Rowing.

[Nickyc707 382]

40 minutes ago, JoshMartini007 said:

Yeah, I look forward to eights too, it's one of my favourite events at the Olympics, but the writing was on the wall for a long time. From a statistical point of view, eights by far has the least depth/participation out of all the Olympic events. Heck, even the four person boats have really low participation rates. Honestly if it wasn't for the scandals in boxing, weightlifting and to a lesser extent modern pentathlon, I'd imagine the IOC would be putting more pressure on World Rowing.

Good point. I'm not sure which is the more vulnerable the lightweight double sculls or the eights, probably both. I guess another problem is that if you have 6-8 really good rowers it makes more sense to put them in a pair and a four to optimise your medal chances rather than gamble on one boat given that doubling up is often not a realistic option given the schedule.

[Oldira 88]

The countries that take the Eights seriously are mostly English speaking too. Along with Germany and Romania.

 

IOC will try and remove the Eights with such a low spread. 126 Quots gone in a swoop.

[JoshMartini007 2,765]

43 minutes ago, Nickyc707 said:

I'm not sure which is the more vulnerable the lightweight double sculls or the eights, probably both.

I think lightweight double sculls is pretty safe, it has the second highest participation rate though this is thanks to continental quotas being available at the Olympics so it gives smaller nations an incentive to invest.

 

[dcro 10,210]

It comes down to redundancy of rowing. It's difficult to build a boat of 8 similarly talented rowers. If the success is lacking, then one of them, or two of them, or four of them will just try a shorter boat. As they should.

But who knows, maybe the sprint course in Los Angeles will enable athletes doubling up...

[Rafa Maciel 1,658]

3 minutes ago, JoshMartini007 said:

I think lightweight double sculls is pretty safe, it has the second highest participation rate though this is thanks to continental quotas being available at the Olympics so it gives smaller nations an incentive to invest.

 

I was under the impression that the Lightweight Double has already been dropped from the 2028 schedule with it potentially being replaced by coastal rowing. 

[Nickyc707 382]

1 hour ago, JoshMartini007 said:

I think lightweight double sculls is pretty safe, it has the second highest participation rate though this is thanks to continental quotas being available at the Olympics so it gives smaller nations an incentive to invest.

 

I'm more sanguine about the lightweights. I think the IOC wants them out and Paris will likely be their last hurrah. Rowing is looking at beach sprint rowing/coastal rowing as alternatives.

 

https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1113562/coastal-rowing-la2028-rolland-olympics

 

And see the proposed programme including a mixed event at the end of this article.

 

https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1128099/ioc-satisfied-rowing-la28

Edited September 21, 2022 by Nickyc707

[intoronto 6,411]

1 hour ago, dcro said:

It comes down to redundancy of rowing. It's difficult to build a boat of 8 similarly talented rowers. If the success is lacking, then one of them, or two of them, or four of them will just try a shorter boat. As they should.

But who knows, maybe the sprint course in Los Angeles will enable athletes doubling up...

Or worse, the IOC drops both and adds a mixed eights 

[Nickyc707 382]

4 minutes ago, intoronto said:

Or worse, the IOC drops both and adds a mixed eights 

At the moment Rowing is offering up a mixed double sculls event as one of the replacements for the two lightweight events but what you're suggesting may have a horrible logic to it. I suppose it would be better than no eights at all. 🙄

[intoronto 6,411]

13 minutes ago, Nickyc707 said:

At the moment Rowing is offering up a mixed double sculls event as one of the replacements for the two lightweight events but what you're suggesting may have a horrible logic to it. I suppose it would be better than no eights at all. 🙄

Panamsports has introduced this for the 2023 Pan Am Games, part of me wonders whose idea this was