Competitors 108 from 8 nations | ||
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At the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, four events in rowing were contested, marking the introduction of the sport to the Olympic program. At the inaugural 1896 Games, the rowing competition was cancelled due to strong winds.
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Participating nations
A total of 108 rowers from 8 nations competed at the Paris Games:
Coxswain mystery
In the coxed pair event, the names of the coxswains for six of the seven crews entered are not known. Most of these were young French boys weighing about 25 kg, which the French crews employed to their advantage. The winning Dutch crew decided, after losing their heat, that their own coxswain was too heavy, and they recruited a French boy to steer the boat for the finals. The lad, name unknown, is believed to be among the youngest Olympic gold medalists ever (previously estimated as between 7 and 10 years of age). However, the boy was likely 12 to 14 years old.