Petition urging FISA to preserve lightweight rowing

Master rower and pure interest.

Keep rowing in good form

Save the lightweight rowing

because it is an essential part of rowing! all lightweight boat types SHOULD be in the program!

Lightweight rowing has a long tradition and creates an opportunity for a different style of athleticism than that required in the heavyweight boats.

Also, I was the former president of CULRC (Beat Oxford twice as well - which in the end is all that matters).

I signed this because the Olympics are supposed to be showing diverse and varied disciplines and rowing also needs to be in the program to keep the steam up in the national talent work and the Olympic medals are the Crown Jewels in the hierarchy of medals!

Lightpower!

Lightweight rowing is the truest form of competitive rowing, where it is down to fitness, skill and mentality. Heavyweight rowing is too often down to just beef.

I am a rower. I believe it would be morally wrong of the IOC to discriminate against lightweight athletes by eliminating their events. It would also damage the IOC's reputation for fairness, in that it would close what is the most prestigious of competitions to a group of athletes solely on the basis of their their weight.

Lightweight rowing has been a feature of international and home regattas since the early 1970s and is as established as weight categories are in many other sports. It is totally illogical, discriminatory, and against the principles of fair competition to even think about abandoning lightweight events.

This is a fantastic sport for our youth and it would be a shame to lose all the talent because they are too light too be competetive against the bigger youth.

I was a lightweight rower and rarely got to race as such. To give the opportunity to race against similar athletes is important - being able to do so was a highlight of my career. It allows people who are overlooked to enjoy the sport and also compete inclusively .

I myself am a lightweight and struggle to even get to the maximum weight during the off season. I it there are many aspiring oarsmen and women out there who have the same problem as me and are all so trying to get to the 2020/24 Olympics but if lightweight rowing is done away with this dream will not come true for many of us. It would also take away from some of the spectacularly close races often seen in lightweight rowing therefore taking away much needed spectator value.

Because the leightweight rowing allows a lot of people to compete in same conditions, and the lightweight race is always very fought, and won for pennies.

Ilove rowing

It's not about giving the little guys a chance, that's not a good enough reason.  Most olympic level lightweights could be competitive in the heavyweight category anyway if they didn't have to make weight.

The reason people want to keep/promote lightweight rowing is because the playing field is level, so the racing is close and exciting.  The lightweight four has also had a huge variety of winning countries, always in close finishing races. Unlike the heavyweight four which has been won by the same nation for the past 5 olympics in un exciting races by comparison (1-2 crews in contention) this is because and as soon as there's a strong four the other nations target the eights or pairs.

If you want gender equality and better racing then get rid of the men's heavy four.  The competition in the pair and eight will be much tighter as a result and there is already no women's for event.  

Because I find LW Rowing exiting with a lot of great races. Most of the earths population fits the limits of LW i.e. more people to recruit for rowing.

My daughter is also interested in Rowing.

Would like to see more lightweight in Olympic games .specially woman lightweight.

It is one of the best and most hotly contested events in the olympic rowing program; not to mention better global appeal due to the weight class.

Lightweight rowing is an essential and highly competitive part of the Olympic Programme and has contributed significantly to the development and universality of our sport in many parts of the world. Any reduction to the Olympic lightweight programme would severely damage the investment made by many Federations and, for some, might result in a total loss of funding.

To preserve a classic sport in the Olympic programme

As a former lightweight, it is critical that lightweight racing is maintained.
Women's racing is poorly represented - in an ideal world all boat classes for both open and lightweight men and women would compete at the World Champs.

 As a former GB lightweight from the '70s , I beleive that it is essential that lightweight rowing should be in all classes of boat on par exactly with those of the Heavy weight classes of boats , from 8's through to 1x's.    Without this high incentive level to aim for, I beleive that all rowing clubs throughout the world will suffer an enormous loss of those club athletes that are not blessed with being the massive size in both height and weight, that is now generally expected of the heavy weight class athlete, in order to firstly medal or at least reach the final 6 places at both the World Championships and Olympic Championships level.

 I  also  find it very difficult to understand how both lightweight rowing classes and even heavy weight rowing classes are even  being considered for reductions in the first place, when so many other quite obscure activities,    that some call sports have been introduced, with many  more currently sitting  waiting for introduction, and to be honest  I have to say this includes the Paralympics with all its numerous classes of events for what ever ailment  someone may have.     Under these circumstances, I wonder how long will it be before we see the introduction of Tiddlywinks and Conkers  to the Olympic's.

 Of Course the obvious solution  would be for the IOC to remove all weight, size  and  even sex categories from each  and every sporting activity and keeping only to those true sports,  which are considered as Sport, first past the finishing line, heaviest lift , furthest throw, wrestling / boxing etc ,  thereby excluding all ball sports, and those activities like ice skating and diving etc which are activities decided upon by pure  subjective scoring systems. These activities can then be held at World Championship Level which currently exists to determine world rankings.    

 

It is a sport that represent universal sportseffort - borh men and women.