Important Dates
London 2012 Olympic Games 27th July-12th August 2012
London 2012 Paralympic Games 29th August-9th September 2012
Events at Eton Dorney: Rowing 28th July-5th August 2012
Paralympic Rowing 1st-3rd September 2012
Canoe Sprint 6th–11th August 2012
The Venue
Dorney Lake uses some of the most up-to-date technology, making this venue perfect for hosting such an important event as the 2012 Games.
- The main rowing lake is 2,200 metres long.
- The lake has eight lanes, each 13.5 metres wide with a minimum depth of 3.5 metres.
- The lake is filled of water coming from underground streams percolating through a natural gravel filter.
- Algae growth is discouraged by using barley bales.
The Events
Rowing: There will be 14 medals available in 2012 between sculling (rower has an oar in each hand) and sweep oar (rower has one oar), with heavy and lightweight divisions. Head-to-head races are held over 2,000 metres.
Paralympic Rowing: There are 4 medals to be won by 108 athletes. Paralympic Rowing is the youngest sport in the Paralympic Games, making its Games debut at Beijing 2008. ‘Adaptive’ implies that the equipment is ‘adapted’ to the user to participate in the sport.
Canoe Sprint: Canoe Sprint is one of two canoe events, the other being Canoe Slalom. There are 12 gold medals up for grabs with 246 athletes competing. In the Flatwater competitions, paddlers race across calm water, over distances of 500m and 1000m. There are events for single athletes (C1, K1), pairs (C2, K2) and fours (K4).
Athletes’ Village
Athletes competing at events at Eton Dorney will be accommodated in an Olympic Village on the campus of Royal Holloway, University of London in Egham.
For further information on activities at Dorney Lake visit
www.dorneylake.co.uk