Tokyo 2020 rowing legacy - The 100th All Japan Rowing Championships

The rowing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games was hosted at the Sea Forest Waterway, centrally located in Tokyo Bay. Originally a shipping channel, the approx. 2500m stretch was converted into the venue for rowing and canoe/kayak, with the construction of boat bays, grandstands, and a finish tower. The 2019 World Rowing Junior Championships were held there as well as the 2021 World Rowing Asian and Oceanian Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, prior to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Sea Forest Waterway reopened for the first time since the Games on April 29th 2022, and hosted its first domestic regatta two weeks later – The 100th All Japan Rowing Championships, from 12 to 15 May 2022. More than 630 athletes in 192 crews came to compete in 17 boat classes. The possibility of viewing a rowing event in person on the Sea Forest Waterway, which was not allowed during during the Olympic and Paralympic Games due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, drew in a large crowd; 5400 spectators filled the grandstands over the four days of racing.

Volunteers from the Tokyo 2020 Games were also present, making up approximately 80% of the 100 volunteers at the event.

There is no doubt of the legacy the Tokyo 2020 Games will leave on the city, as well as on the sport of rowing. The continuous usage of the Olympic venue hopes to widen the Japanese rowing community, and well as take initiative to enhance the understanding of the Olympism, as stated in the Olympic charter.