16 July 2021

By Tim Koch

With just one week to go before the start of the Olympic Rowing Regatta, Tim Koch puts his watch on JST – Japan Standard Time.

The timetable below is from olympics.com and gives times in JST. I have added British Summer Time – which is 8 hours behind JST. For other time zones, a simple converter is here.

Fri 23 July 8:30 – 12:10 JST / 0.30 – 4.10 BST

• Men’s Single Sculls Heats
• Women’s Single Sculls Heats
• Men’s Double Sculls Heats
• Women’s Double Sculls Heats
• Men’s Quadruple Sculls Heats
• Women’s Quadruple Sculls Heats

Sat 24 July 8:30 – 12:30 JST / 0.30 – 4.30 BST

• Women’s Single Sculls Repechages
• Men’s Single Sculls Repechages
• Women’s Double Sculls Repechage
• Men’s Double Sculls Repechage
• Women’s Pair Heats
• Men’s Pair Heats
• Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls Heats
• Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls Heats
• Women’s Four Heats
• Men’s Four Heats

Sun 25 July 9:00 – 11:40 JST /  01.00 – 03.40 BST

• Men’s Single Sculls Semi Finals E/F
• Women’s Single Sculls Semi Finals E/F
• Men’s Pair Repechage
• Women’s Pair Repechage
• Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls Repechages
• Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls Repechages
• Men’s Quadruple Sculls Repechage
• Women’s Quadruple Sculls Repechage
• Men’s Eight Heats
• Women’s Eight Heats

Mon 26 July 9:00 – 11:20 JST /  01.00 – 03.40 BST

• Women’s Single Sculls Quarterfinals
• Men’s Single Sculls Quarterfinals
• Women’s Double Sculls Semi Finals
• Men’s Double Sculls Semi Finals
• Women’s Four Repechage
• Men’s Four Repechage

Tue 27 July 8:30 – 12:00 JST JST / 0.30 – 4.00 BST

• Men’s Single Sculls Semi Finals C/D
• Women’s Single Sculls Semi Finals C/D
• Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls Final C
• Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls Final C
• Men’s Quadruple Sculls Final B
• Women’s Quadruple Sculls Final B
• Men’s Quadruple Sculls Final A
• Women’s Quadruple Sculls Final A
• Men’s Quadruple Sculls Victory Ceremony
• Men’s Pair Semifinals A/B
• Women’s Quadruple Sculls Victory Ceremony
• Women’s Pair Semifinals A/B
• Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls Semi Finals A/B
• Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls Semi Finals A/B

Wed 28 July 8:30 – 11:40 JST / 0.30 – 3.40 BST

• Women’s Double Sculls Final B
• Men’s Double Sculls Final B
• Women’s Four Final B
• Men’s Four Final B
• Women’s Double Sculls Final A
• Men’s Double Sculls Final A
• Women’s Double Sculls Victory Ceremony
• Women’s Four Final A
• Men’s Double Sculls Victory Ceremony
• Men’s Four Finals A
• Women’s Four Victory Ceremony
• Women’s Eight Repechage
• Men’s Four Victory Ceremony
• Men’s Eight Repechage
• Women’s Single Sculls Semi Finals A/B
• Men’s Single Sculls Semi Finals A/B

Thu 29 July 8:30 – 11:50 JST / 0.30 – 3.50 BST

• Men’s Single Sculls Final F
• Women’s Single Sculls Final F
• Men’s Single Sculls Final E
• Women’s Single Sculls Final E
• Men’s Pair Final A
• Women’s Pair Final A
• Men’s Pair Victory Ceremony
• Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls Final A
• Women’s Pair Victory Ceremony
• Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls Final A
• Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls Victory Ceremony
• Men’s Pairs Final B
• Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls Victory Ceremony
• Women’s Pairs Final B
• Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls Final B
• Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls Final B
• Women’s Single Sculls Final D
• Men’s Single Sculls Final D

Fri 30 July 8:45 – 10:55 JST / 12.45 – 2.55 BST

• Women’s Single Sculls Final C
• Men’s Single Sculls Final C
• Women’s Single Sculls Final B
• Men’s Single Sculls Final B
• Women’s Single Sculls Final A
• Men’s Single Sculls Final A
• Women’s Single Sculls Victory Ceremony
• Women’s Eight Final A
• Men’s Single Sculls Victory Ceremony
• Men’s Eight Final A
• Women’s Eight Victory Ceremony
• Men’s Eight Victory Ceremony

The Wikipedia page Rowing at the Summer Olympics has some interesting facts and figures for HTBS Types. Amongst other things, it notes that five Olympic rowing Golds are held by Elisabeta Lipă (Romania), Steve Redgrave (GB) and Georgeta Damian (Romania); four rowing Golds have been won by Doina Ignat (Romania), Kathrin Boron (Germany), Viorica Susanu (Romania) and Matthew Pinsent (GB); there are eighteen others who have three rowing Golds. Will Helen Glover, half of the GB women’s pair, make it nineteen?

The achievements of Romania, a country of only 20 million, is particularly noteworthy as it remained a very successful rowing nation even when the old Soviet-style support for sport ended with the 1989 revolution (though population may have little relation to rowing success as evidenced by New Zealand and the Scandinavian countries, all producing world-beating rowers from national headcounts of 5 – 10 million).

The official website of the 2020 Games gives this brief if random summary of some things to expect in the rowing events at Tokyo:

New Zealand, Great Britain and Germany are the leading Olympic Rowing nations, while Australia and the United States have a strong pedigree.

At the Rio 2016 Games, Germany took gold in both the men’s and women’s quadruple sculls — the men’s for the second time in succession — as well as winning silver in the men’s eights.

Some countries have an affinity for particular events. Great Britain, for example, has won the men’s coxless four five times in a row since Sydney 2000, while Rio 2016 runner-up Australia won silver for the third time in succession.

In the blue riband men’s eights, the competition is always fierce with the USA, Canada, Germany and Great Britain each taking gold once in the last four Games, showing just how difficult it is to win even twice in a row.

In women’s rowing, Great Britain has been stronger than Germany, taking gold in the coxless pair at Rio 2016 and silver in both the eights and double sculls. In London 2012, Great Britain boasted three gold medallists.

Emerging nations include South Africa and China, both of whom have shown increasingly strong form in recent years.

Matthew Pinsent, however, seems less upbeat about Tokyo 2020 in general. Soon though, we will all be able to make up our own minds.