From rxpgnews.com
Asian Games Fact Box: Rowing
By Xinhua,
Dec 1, 2006 - 2:46:30 PM
Doha, Dec 1 - Rowing is a traditional sport that has been practiced competitively since the 18th century. Rowers sit in a narrow boat, facing backwards, and use oars or sculls to move the boat forward.
There are two basic types of competitions: regatta and head-of-the-river races. The regatta is decided by knockout, with a final being held to determine the winning crew.
Head-of-the-river races are decided by the crew that achieves the fastest time over a set course.
Rowers have some of the highest power outputs of any athletes in the world and must develop both as endurance and sprint athletes. They also have to tailor their breathing, as the rowing motion compresses rowers' lungs, limiting the amount of available oxygen.
Rowing was a means of transport in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome, but rowing as a sport began in Victorian England in the 19th century.
Men's rowing was included as an Olympic sport in 1896 while women competitors were admitted to the Games at Montreal in 1976. Rowing has been in the Asian Games programme since the 9th Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982.
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