With all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) confirming their participation, World Rowing has officially concluded the Paris Olympic qualification process. A total of 64 NOCs have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Rowing, marking a significant milestone in the journey to the Games.
For the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, gender equality was achieved for the second time with 251 athletes of each gender securing spots. According to the official Olympic Qualification System, each qualification event's quota places had to be accepted by the respective NOCs, adhering to a set of qualification rules for final boat selections.
In the men’s double sculls, Serbia confirmed their qualification following their performance at the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta (FOPQR). They declined the men’s single sculls spot obtained at the World Rowing European Continental Qualification Regatta (EOPQR), which was subsequently reallocated to Slovenia based on their participation in Szeged (EOPQR) and Lucerne (FOPQR).
France, having qualified two men’s boats and one women’s boat at the 2023 World Championships, could not utilize their “Host Country” places. These spots were reallocated to Hungary (men’s single sculls) and Türkiye (women’s single sculls), with Türkiye making history by having its first-ever women’s boat competing at the Olympic Games.
Four Universality Places were provided to eligible NOCs: two in the men’s single sculls and two in the women’s single sculls. Following technical and performance assessments, World Rowing and the IOC confirmed the allocation of men’s single sculls quotas to Monaco and Libya, and women’s single sculls quotas to Nicaragua and Kuwait. This marks Kuwait's debut in a women’s boat class at the Olympic Games.
Romania will send the largest contingent to Paris, with 45 athletes across 12 boats, followed closely by Great Britain and the United States, each with 42 athletes. Host nation France has qualified five boats.
The qualification events began in September 2023 at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, where most spots were allocated. The African Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta followed in October 2023 in Tunis, Tunisia. The Americas qualification event was held in March 2024 at the Rio 2016 Olympic Rowing regatta course. April 2024 saw the Asia and Oceania qualification in Korea, followed by the European qualification in Szeged, Hungary.
The series concluded with the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta in mid-May at the Rotsee regatta course in Lucerne, Switzerland. For the first time, Lucerne hosted the final Paralympic qualification alongside the Olympic qualification.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games qualification process will be finalized and announced in the coming weeks, with eleven quota places still to be decided. The next crucial deadline is for NOCs to enter their selected athletes by 8 July 2024, followed by an official announcement of the entries by World Rowing.
Stay tuned as the final preparations unfold for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.