Paralympic rowing is one of the newest adaptive sports available for disabled athletes. The sport made it's Paralympic debut at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and will appear for the second time in the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
Paralympic Rowing: Attracts Disabled Athletes in Adaptive Sports
The adaptive sport has four classes in international competition: coxed four, double scull, women's single scull and men's single scull. The coxed four and double scull events are mixed gender, while there is a division for both men and women in the single events. Each event is raced on a 1000m course, and each country is allowed to enter one boat into each event.
The Adaptive Rowing Program began in 1975 in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and United States. The sport is called an adaptive sport because the equipment is adapted to the needs of the disabled athlete, rather than adapting the sport and it's rules, according to the London 2012 website. For example, each athlete has a special seat fitted to their needs, and the seat specifications vary quite a bit depending on the athlete's disability.
Adaptive Rowing in the Paralympic Games
After it's inception in 1975, adaptive rowing grew quickly, and by 1993 the sport did a demonstration event at the Rowing World Championships in Tampere, Finland. In 2002, 38 disabled athletes participated in adapted events at the World Championships in Seville, Spain.
Just six years later, adapted rowing made it's Paralympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. There, the Italian team won the first gold medal in the coxed four event, the Chinese team won the first gold medal in the double scull event, and British athletes Tom Aggar and Helen Raynsford, respectively, won the first gold medals in the men's and women's single scull events.
Paralympic Rowing At the London 2012 Games
Paralympic rowing will return to the London 2012 Olympic Games, beginning on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012 and ending on Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. A total of 108 disabled athletes from 24 countries will compete for gold medals in the four events. The Paralympic rowing competition will take place at the Eton Dorney Venue.
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Read about other Paralympic Sports in the 2012 Paralympic Games:
Introduction to and History of Paralympic Powerlifting
Powerlifting was introduced for the first time at the second Paralympic Games in 1964 in Tokyo. In the sport, disabled athletes compete to lift the most.
Introduction to and History of Boccia
With rules similar to curling, Boccia is a Paralympic sport played by athletes with cerebral palsy or other similar neurological disabilities.
References:
Paralympic Rowing. London 2012 website. www.london2012.org. Accessed May 3, 2010.
Paralympic/Adaptive Rowing. World Rowing website. www.worldrowing.com. Accessed May 3, 2010.
Kristen Nichols - Kristen is a freelance reporter and copywriter covering Olympic and Paralympic sport for Suite101.com. Kristen's love of sport developed ...
