rowing

Propulsion of a boat by oars, either by one or two rowers with two oars each (sculling) or by crews (two, four, or eight persons) with one oar each, often with a coxswain (the non-rowing member who steers and determines rowing speed). Major events include the world championships, first held in 1962 for men and 1974 for women, and the Boat Race (between Oxford and Cambridge universities in the UK), first held in 1829.

Doggett's Coat and Badge, begun in 1715 for Thames watermen and also the first English race, still survives. Rowing as a sport began with the English Leander Club in 1817, followed by the Castle Garden boat club, USA, in 1834.

In the USA the Harvard–Yale boat race is held on the Thames at New London, Connecticut, and national championships are held annually.