On the beach, two referees stand at the edge of the shore, with another positioned 250 meters out. Wide rowing boats enter the water in pairs every few minutes, just before shots ring out every five minutes. These duels end in a spectacular finish, worthy of the finest beach volleyball catch-ups. Introducing Beach Sprint!

The Beach Sprint is a new coastal rowing discipline and a new Olympic event to be introduced in Los Angeles, 2028. This fast-paced race format full of twists and turns promises to be a spectator favourite. After an elimination phase based on time, the sixteen best crews in each category will duel before you.

On the beach, two athletes get ready for the start. When the gun goes off, they each take off towards the water: volunteers hold their boats so that they can get in quickly. They then have to row against the waves, respecting a slalom between three buoys – a difficult technical exercise to master. After 250m comes the moment that often decides the race: they have to make a tight U-turn around the third buoy and then row back to the beach. Finally, a final sprint on the beach: the first team to hit the buzzer wins the duel and moves on to the next final, while the other is eliminated.

Rowing, traditionally practised on flat bodies of water such as our smallest Swiss lakes or wide rivers, has been moved to rougher waters in recent years, practised only on specially designed boats. In addition to the Beach Sprint, a second medium-distance format with a start and finish on the water is already being offered in competition at the Léman-sur-Mer regatta in Lausanne in October. We are delighted to be taking part in the development of these disciplines, which offer a new challenge to athletes, boat builders and regatta organisers, particularly with the introduction of mixed categories for the first time in Olympic rowing.