Rowing at 2024 Paris Olympics: Scoring rules, format and path to medal

Rowing - a sport that has attracted the interest of many spectators across the world, will make a splash at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, and one expects it to draw huge viewership across the globe.

India will be represented in this sport by Balraj Panwar, who won India's first gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games. The 25-year-old from Mewat, Haryana, has also participated in the 2008 Tokyo Olympics and is an extremely promising prospect.

Having started participating in rowing events since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, India have failed to win a medal in this sport yet, and Panwar will be keen on breaking the duck with his performances in Paris. He will participate in the men's single sculls.

---

Rules of the sport

Rowing is among the most unique sports to be held in the Olympics as the participants sit with their backs in the direction in which they are moving.

Of course, such movements will have to be done by propelling themselves with oars by the side. The athletes are asked to compete across a distance of 2,000 metres, or 2 km, alone or in teams of 2, 4 or 8.

Double scull and sweep rowing are the two different disciplines in this sport. Rowers hold a single oar with both hands in sweep events, while in sculling they hold one oar in each hand.

---

Format and path to medal

The format of the rowing events in the Paris Olympics is pretty straightforward: all athletes have to compete in the preliminary heats before qualifying for the finals - quarterfinals, semifinals and final respectively.

There is, however, another round in which those who fail to make it out of the heats can compete and qualify for the finals - the repechage. India will hope that Panwar can make it to the podium.