The European Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organised by World Rowing (named FISA until 2020) for European rowing nations, plus Israel, which, though not a member of the European federation, is treated as a European nation for competition purposes.
The championships date back to 1893, the year after FISA (the International Rowing Federation) was founded. Over time, the competition grew in status and as it was not restricted to European countries, became regarded as the quasi-world championships. The World Rowing Championships were commenced in 1962 and the last European Championships were held in 1973 as from 1974, the World Championships became an annual event. The European Championships were re-introduced in 2007 but with a narrower focus on Europe.
History
The first regatta held as a European Rowing Championships was held in 1893 and these continued annually until 1913; the 1914 to 1919 events did not occur due to World War I. The annual schedule was next interrupted in 1928 when the Amsterdam Olympics were regarded as a replacement event; the 1920 Antwerp Olympics or the 1924 Paris Olympics had previously not been a reason for skipping the European Championships. The next time the Olympics were held in Europe, i.e. the 1936 Berlin Olympics, again saw the European Championships skipped. World War II saw the 1939 to 1946 regattas cancelled. The next European event was held in 1947, with subsequent years skipped due to Europe-based Olympics in 1948 (London) and 1952 (Helsinki).
The 1951 European Rowing Championships is notable as the first test event for international women's rowing organised by the International Rowing Federation (FISA). Regattas continued under that name until 1973. From 1962, the event was replaced (one year in four) by the World Rowing Championships, which then became an annual event from 1974. Women's events were introduced in 1954, the first international races for women, but even then men's and women's events were held on different days, and in some years at different venues.
On 27 May 2006 the FISA members voted to re-introduce a separate European Rowing Championships in its own right.
In the first regatta there were only three events (men's single, coxed four and eight) and only ten entries. Races were 3,000 m long, except for singles – which were only 2,000 m. Coxed pair was first raced in the following year and double scull was added in 1898. Coxless pair was added in 1924 and coxless four was added the year after. The next change after that was the inclusion of women's rowing.
In 2007, when the European Rowing Championship was re-introduced, there were 14 Olympic boat classes racing over 2,000m. Historically the leading European nations, notably Great Britain and Germany, had taken a haphazard approach to attending the championships. Following the 2012 Summer Olympics, however, both fully committed to the event going forward, and from that date, the championships have progressed rapidly to represent one of the key events in world rowing; given the historic and modern strength of European rowing, they rank behind only the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup Series. In Olympic years, when World Championships are not held, they provide a key test ahead of the Olympic regatta, in addition to a significant competitive opportunity in their own right.
In 2015, European Rowing announced that the 2018 edition of the championships would form part of the first European Championships, a co-branded multi-sport event organised by, and consisting of the European championships of, the individual European sports federations.
Editions The first regatta held as a European Rowing Championships was held in 1893.Part sourced from the official programme of the European Rowing Championships 2017, 26–28 May 2017, Račice, Czech Republic
With rowing officials from around the world coming to the regatta, the International Rowing Federation (FISA) held an ordinary congress on 30 August 1950 in Milan. It was at that congress that it was decided that women's rowing would be trialled. The first test event over the shorter agreed 1,000 m distance was run at the 1951 European Rowing Championships in Mâcon a day prior to the men's competition starting. The 1954 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on the Bosbaan regatta course in the Dutch city of Amsterdam. This edition is particularly notable for the fact that it was the first time that women were allowed to compete as part of the championships, after three years of trial regattas for them. Women from 13 countries were represented with 34 boats, and they competed in five boat classes (W1x, W2x, W4x+, W4+, W8+) from 20 to 22 August.
# Year Host city Host Country EventsMen events only11893 Lake Orta 321894 Mâcon 431895 Ostend 441896 Geneva 451897 Pallanza 461898 Turin 571899 Ostend 581900 Paris 591901 Zürich 5101902 Strasbourg/Kehl 5111903 Venice 5121904 Paris 5131905 Ghent 5141906 Pallanza 5151907 Strasbourg/Kehl 5161908 Lucerne 5171909 Paris 5181910 Ostend 5191911 Como 5201912 Geneva 5211913 Ghent 51914–1919: not held due to World War I221920 Mâcon 5231921 Amsterdam 5241922 Barcelona 5251923 Como 5261924 Zürich 6271925 Prague 7281926 Lucerne 7291927 Como 7301929 Bydgoszcz 7311930 Liège 7321931 Paris 7331932 Belgrade 7341933 Budapest 7351934 Lucerne 7361935 Berlin 7371937 Amsterdam 7381938 Milan 71939–1946: not held due to World War II391947 Lucerne 7401949 Amsterdam 7411950 Milan 7421951 Mâcon 7431953 Copenhagen 7Women events added441954 Amsterdam 12451955 Bucharest (Women) 51955 Ghent (Men) 7461956 Bled 12471957 Duisburg 12481958 Poznań 12491959 Mâcon 12501960 London 5511961 Prague 12521962 East Berlin 5531963 Copenhagen (Men) 71963 Moscow (Women) 5541964 Amsterdam 12551965 Duisburg 12561966 Amsterdam 5571967 Vichy 12581968 East Berlin 5591969 Klagenfurt 12601970 Tata 5611971 Copenhagen 12621972 Brandenburg an der Havel 5631973 Moscow 121974–2006: not held due to the World Rowing Championships642007 Poznań 14652008 Marathon 14662009 Brest 14672010 Montemor-o-Velho 22682011 Plovdiv 14692012 Varese 14702013 Seville 17712014 Belgrade 17722015 Poznań 17732016 Brandenburg an der Havel 17742017 Račice 18752018 Glasgow 17762019 Lucerne 17Para events was added772020 Poznań 22782021 Varese 22792022 Oberschleißheim 23802023 Bled 21812024 Szeged 21822025 Plovdiv 20832026 Varese
All-time medal table Total of medals from 1893 to 2025. Alsace-Lorraine won one gold, three silvers and nine bronzes which are added to Germany's total medals.
See also European Rowing U23 Championships European Rowing U19 Championships
References
External links Official World Rowing homepage