In 1893, the sparkling water of Italy’s Lake Orta played host to the first ever European Rowing Championships. More than a century later, the same competition will bring the very best of the continent’s rowers to Munich, Germany, for 4 days of intense summer racing.
That inaugural contest on Lake Orta featured just 10 athletes in 3 boat classes, and only men were allowed to participate. The Championships were nevertheless enough of a success to continue annually until 1973, interrupted only by the two World Wars and any Europe-based Olympic Games. The 1951 event finally brought women into the competition, but it was not until 1954 that women’s events were permanently added to the Championships schedule.
Europe’s premier rowing contest continued to grow, and by 1973 it included 7 events for men and 5 for women, with entrants from more than 20 nations. That year would see the last European Rowing Championships for several decades, however, as the World Rowing Championships became an annual fixture on the sport’s calendar. Previously held only once every four years, the global contest replaced the Europe-focused competition as the most significant yearly international regatta.
After a long hiatus, in 2006 the International Rowing Federation voted to reinstate the European Championships, and a year later the Polish city of Poznań welcomed the continent’s rowing elite. The 2007 Championships were the first in more than 30 years, and they ushered in a new era of European rowing. The competition has been held every year since, and in 2022 it will visit Munich for the first time, with 660 athletes from 46 nations expected to take part from 11 to 14 August.
The 2022 event is part of the wider European Championships, which will be held all around the German city and will include 9 different sports. The rowing contests are set to take place at the Oberschleißheim Regatta Course, a venue built for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Classes will include men’s and women’s regular and lightweight single sculls, double sculls, and quadruple sculls, alongside events for pairs, coxless fours, and coxed eights. There will also be 4 para classes, in single sculls, mixed double sculls, and mixed coxed fours.
Tickets are on sale now for the Championships in 3 pricing categories, with Premium offering the best views of the finish line from the spectator stands and Category 2 providing the most affordable option, an unreserved space on the grassy area across the water from the stands. Single day tickets start at EUR €10 for adults in Category 2, or €25 for adults in Premium. Discounted child and concession tickets are also available.
If a single day’s pass is not enough, there are also Opening Passes on offer that cover the first 2 days of the Championships. These start at €15 for adults in Category 2 or €45 in Premium. For even more rowing action, the All Sessions Pass provides access to every day of the competition, for €50 in Category 2 or €120 in Premium.
Ready oar not? Get your European Rowing Championships tickets now!