A dramatic day for Olympic rowing regatta as Serbian pair capsized

Milos Vasic and Nenad Bedik from Serbia capsized on the first day of the 2016 Rio Olympic rowing regatta due to high winds here on Saturday.

On the first day of the Olympic regatta, heats of eight disciplines went on. But high winds caused trouble to some crews.

During the men's pair competition, the Serbian duo capsized in the last 500m of their heat. Although they did not cross the finish line, they were allowed to race in the repechage on Sunday.

FISA (International Rowing Federation) executive director Matt Smith explained the reason for the decision. "We have a rule that says the boat must cross the finish line to qualify for the next round. As we were so delayed in the schedule we got the word to the umpires and the executive committee quickly agree that we would drop the requirement on that particular crew. The umpire told the Serbians that they will be able to continue to the next round and be considered last placing in the heat," he said.

Andrew Graham Peebles from Zimbabwe said of the wind conditions after his single sculls heat, "A very unpredictable side wind hit us through the 1000m mark. I think it caught a quite a few of us off guard and the other guys managed it better than me," he was disappointed about finishing last in his heat, "I had lots of energy at the end, I just couldn't apply through the power."

After a heat of the women's single sculls, Australia's Kimberley Brennan, bronze medalist in 2012 London Games, complained about the rough conditions, "I was pretty close to sinking out there, which would generally be an indication that the course isn't rowable."

On whether racing should have been cancelled due to wind, New Zealand's Emma Twigg, 2014 Amsterdam world champion in women's single sculls, said: "I've spoken to a lot of people in the boat park and they're as disappointed as I am. At what point is it for the athletes? That's a question for FISA and no doubt the team managers will be putting tonight."

FISA made a decision not to postpone the match. Smith said: "Part of our thinking was if everyone is really struggling and getting a lot of water in the boat and not able to row, that's one of the indications it becomes unrowable. We had a couple of races where even in lanes one and two we would have a really world class rower in the lane and 10 meters next to her some unknown rower from Mexico or Nigeria is handling it and going fine. What would be the justification to suspend racing when we have rowers from Mexico or Nigeria handling it and getting through?"

"Seven years ago we knew this would be the Olympic venue. Everyone has been watching it since. In 2015 during the test run there were no problems," added Smith. Endit