If only the Ancient Greeks could see us now. What began as a competition in honour of Zeus over 2,700 years ago is now the largest sporting event in the world. Although the modern Olympic Games look a lot different to the ancient Games, the most important aspect of the event is that it is a celebration of sport. Despite only being introduced at the 1900 Paris Olympics (women’s rowing was not introduced until the 1976 Montreal Olympics), rowing has grown into one of the most popular spectator sports.
As the rain poured down on the first day of rowing, almost as if Zeus himself was competing, the grandstand of supporters cheered on. The grey and grisly skies were brightened by multi-coloured flags, hats, and, of course, inflatable kangaroos. With an enormous portion of the crowd being French, the women’s double was pushed over the finish line first to the chants of ‘Allez les bleus! Allez les bleus!’; the French working just as a home crowd should. The bright orange of the Dutch clashed against the red of the French, Americans, Swiss, and British, which only made them cheer louder. Islands of green and gold poked out amongst this abundance of red, white, and blue, as the Aussies waved their cork hats high in the air. The rain did not stop the rowers or their supporters, and instead just seemed to fuel them on even more. It had become a highly British affair by the end, as we endured the rain by sheltering under Union Jack flags, while many others had gone home.
Again, this time under Sunday’s beating sun, the flags and cheers were incessant. The atmosphere only grew as the need to hide under an umbrella was replaced with lashings of sun cream. This truly was a celebration of rowing; each and every person glued to the screens for the first 1500m, and as soon as the boats came into view of the grandstands, the roar along the bank became deafening. As the rowers neared the finish line, heads darted between the lake and screens, wanting to watch the last 100m with their own eyes, but also needing to be sure of the result. Regardless of having won or not, every athlete was celebrated. Due to the seeding of initial heats, there was often a sculler who finished behind the rest of the pack, sometimes over a minute later. These rowers were clapped and cheered over the line just as the winners were. Suddenly, this buzz would subside as the cameras turned to the start line of the next race. As the countries of each crew were called on the start line, their respective fans would cheer, but then the crowds became silent, waiting for the beep. Sometimes, it was so intensely quiet that it could be heard from the other end of the 2000m lake. The cheers resumed as soon as the rowers took their first stroke.
Those closest to the rowers were hidden amongst the crowd. Often they could be spotted by homemade t-shirts – Helen Glover’s children wore tops with ‘go Mummy, go’ on the back, another group in ‘supporters of the Kiwi men’s four’ tops. Others were harder to spot, and it was in general small talk that it became clear who they were here for, and how much it meant for them to be there. An Australian couple had left their farm in the hands of their son in order to watch their daughter at her third Olympics, while a mother had come to watch her daughter achieve her dream in the British quad. Each rower has their own story, which is celebrated not only by their country, but also by their family and friends. The most striking thing about this is that they are completely normal families. No one was bragging or putting others down; they were all immensely proud and overcome with the emotions of the racing.
The Olympics truly is the pinnacle of sport, and the rowing events are no different. From the first-ever single scull to qualify from Angola, to the more dominant and well-known crews, each rower is cheered on and supported in a way that only those who really understand and respect the sport can. The pouring rain on the first day of racing failed to dampen spirits, and this is a testament to the success of rowing as both a sport and a community. In such a highly emotionally-driven environment, the combination of cheers and tears are inevitable, and yet perfectly sum up the highs and lows of rowing.
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