Olympic Rowing 2024 | Telemetry at the Olympics

There’s been a lot of discussion the past few days about telemetry being used at Henley. And for good reason: lots of the crews who won Henley used it. But there is one key event we don’t see this technology, and that is at the Olympic Games. With Paris just around the corner, I took a deep-dive into the discussion surrounding telemetry and its use on the international stage.

What is telemetry?

For those not fortunate enough to have gotten the opportunity to have telemetry, it’s a very useful system. There are special gates on the boat that are designed to pick up information and through wires they feed to screens on the riggers and by the cox. The rowers see their power in watts, the angle they reach forward and back, as well as their power curve. The power feedback helps to tell your input and tracks how much work you do during a session. The angles tell you your reach, useful for rowers to set up the boat well and make sure you’re confirming your body to get the appropriate reach. The power curve is maybe the most useful, telling you how you apply your power. The data is recorded for the coaches to review later, and live feedback is available on some systems too. While time consuming, high performance coaches can see a lot of benefit from this.

Why isn’t it in the Olympics?

Due to specifications in the World Rowing rules, no crews can use telemetry during any racing at international competitions, including the Olympics. According to the ‘rules of racing and related bye-laws’ section of World Rowing, the only data that can be available to the rowers during a race is time, stroke rate, boat velocity/acceleration and heart rate. World Rowing has the ability to measure anything they like, but the crew are limited to this data only during their race. This means that they have to rely on ‘feel’ and their heart rate to gauge how their pacing is. Therefore, the crews have to know their capabilities and know how to play the conditions and their fatigue level. It makes for tough rowing, but the rules are clear. 

Why do Henley crews use it?

Telemetry is live feedback to your rowing. The one time your coach isn’t there telling you everything you’re doing wrong is perhaps the one time you want them there – during a race. For more experienced and elite crews telemetry allows them to gauge their effort level to perfectly pace their race and get the best speed through the race as possible. It is after all about who goes from A to B the quickest. While the watts feedback may be particularly useful in a time trial, the power curve is a great tool to make sure you are rowing well and effectively. The tough Henley waters or rough conditions in A-finals can test a crew, so when it’s not feeling right you can look at that screen and make the adjustments to pick it up right and move together. 

What are the drawbacks?

There are a few disadvantages to be considered that may push nations away from telemetry. Weight is the easiest one to think of, as it adds over 5kg to an eight, which on average would make the boat around 0.1% slower. Sounds like not a lot? In terms of a 2000m race, that would be around 0.3s, or 2m. Essentially a canvas. While most of us wouldn’t call that a lot and are used to a lot more in races, if you rewatch any A-final (especially in big boats) then you’ll see just how important a canvas can be. It can be the same at Henley or any other regatta too. So why use it? Generally the benefits outweigh the time loss, they allow the rowers to get the extra time that works out more than the time loss, meaning it’s a net positive result.

What could the Olympics look like with telemetry?

As said before, World Rowing can measure and use any data for use, both live and for commercial purposes. We could definitely see some live data reads, to see the total power, average power or highest power. Seeing those figures, especially in the start and finish, would definitely catch more interest and make more people watch the international races. It could also draw attention to heats, as we can compare results from heats in more detail and understand who is going into finals in the best condition. In respect to the racing itself, there could be some drastic changes. We could see more even pacing as everyone gets a more accurate description of their effort level. It could lead to more switching of places, tighter finish and potential bigger sprints.

In conclusion

Telemetry is ultimately just a tool. It’s not a secret weapon or a magic box. The telemetry isn’t what makes clubs like Brookes or Thames faster, it’s the individuals. They set a target and utilise the tools given to them to the best of their ability. However, it could draw more attention to watching international events, and add another dimension for spectators. Some great things have come from trialling new innovations and while some may not stick forever, they have left a mark in history, and help to advance the sport we all love.

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Sam Mitchell

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