The world's elite rowers, including seven Olympic Games medallists and 18 World Rowing Championships medallists, will meet for an afternoon of exciting sprint racing at the Mercedes-Benz World Rowing Sprints to be held on October 5, 2002 on the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park, London.
Rowing stars such as Great Britain's Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell as well as 2002 single sculls world champion from Germany Marcel Hacker will be participating in this new and thrilling 500 metre race format.
For this year's Sprints, teams from Great Britain, the United States, Germany and the Netherlands will compete, each comprising 13 rowers - five women, seven men and a coxswain. The concept is for each of the rowers to race in two events. First in their "small boat" (pair or four, single or double sculls) and then to combine into the two "large boats" (eight and quadruple sculls).
The unique feature of this concept is that the eight and the quadruple sculls will be raced by mixed crews made up of men and women. The eight will be made up of the men's four, the men's pair and the women's pair. The quadruple sculls will consist of rowers from the women's double sculls, the women's single sculls and the men's single sculls. A team will be crowned the Mercedes-Benz Sprints Champion, based on the results of the races.
Racing starts at 14:00 UK time. Eurosport will broadcast the Mercedes-Benz World Rowing Sprints live from 14:30 -15:30 UK time (15:30 to 16:30 CET). Visit www.worldrowing.com for a full timetable of events.
A media working area will be available near the course and interview and photo opportunities can be organised after racing. Members of the media wishing to attend should contact Kathleen Di Giacomo at FISA for accreditation at [email protected] or tel +41.21.617.83.73