U.S. Newspaper's Olympic Medal Predictions: Only Two Nations Due to Retain Their Rowing Titles from Beijing

The American daily USA Today has been putting together projections of the expected results of each sport event at the London 2012 Summer Olympics. With the latest updated version released 11 June 2012, it comes out that Eton Dorney regatta venue may witness significant changes when compared to Beijing 2008. According to USA Today's expectations, only two countries will be able to retain their Olympic rowing titles: the host country, Great Britain, in men's four, and the United States in women's eight, respectively.

Fast-motion video of a new bridge construction at Eton Dorney Lake, the venue of rowing and canoeing events in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games

A total of 20 countries are likely to be represented in the Olympic rowing A-finals, and out of these, 16 national teams should earn medals. The following medal table prediction can thus be summarised (with details on each boat event following further below):

Great Britain 3-5-2
New Zealand 3-2-1
Germany 3-1-0
Greece 1-1-1
Czech Republic 1-1-0
United States 1-0-1
Croatia 1-0-0
Belarus 1-0-0
Australia 0-1-3
Canada 0-1-2
Denmark 0-1-0
Ukraine 0-1-0
France 0-0-1
Italy 0-0-1
Poland 0-0-1
Romania 0-0-1

Václav Chalupa je ve finální nominaci na nejvyšší světové veslařské ocenění

ENGLISH TITLE: Vaclav Chalupa Is in the Final Nomination For World's Top Rowing Prize

Mnohonásobný český medailista ze světových soutěží ve veslování Václav Chalupa má již podruhé šanci získat Medaili Thomase Kellera, kterou uděluje Mezinárodní veslařská federace (FISA) špičkovým veslařům po ukončení závodní kariéry. V nominacích, které navrhovala veslařská veřejnost, se Chalupa dostal do finálové čtveřice.

Jak FISA oznámila na svých internetových stránkách 21. března, dalšími kandidáty na ocenění jsou novozélandské sestry Evers-Swindellovy, které donedávna vládly ženskému dvojskifu, a dále někdejší skifaři: Estonec Jüri Jaanson (který býval i soupeřem Václava Chalupy) a Fin Pertti Karppinen, který má olympijské zlato z let 1976, 1980 a 1984.

First Full-Fledged European Championships... Finally

The upcoming European Rowing Championships in Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal are due to be much different from the previous years: for the first time since the championships were restored in 2007, Europeans get the opportunity to compete in all rowing events (not just the fourteen Olympic ones) and, unlike the past years again, most of the European rowing elite will really be present.

Rowing is a part of Europe's history. Source: Wikipedia.

The new history of the European Rowing Championships is problematic: the regatta was always held after the World Championships or Olympic Games and thus remained overshadowed by the real peak of the season. Many of the best European rowers did not bother to come – either because they already wanted to relax, or because they knew their main rivals would also stay home, or because they had anyway accomplished success on the world level for that season (European countries won 57% of rowing events at the 2008 Olympics and 70% of all events at the 2009 World Championships). Take Great Britain, one of the superpowers of rowing: two years ago, they sent seven boats to the European championships; last year, there was only one British boat.

In their current shape, the European Rowing Championships have largely become a regatta for: 1) reserve crews, 2) hopeful juniors, 3) experimental lineups, and 4) consolation prize seekers, i.e. those who might not be satisfied with their performance in the preceding World Championships or Olympic Games (see below for examples).