Today we are going to talk about a sport that produces the world's most physically fit athletes - Rowing.

In 2008, the Olympic Rowing competition will be held from August 9-27.

The first known 'modern' rowing races arose from prize matches among the professional watermen providing ferry and taxi services on the River Thames in London.

The competition became popular on other rivers throughout Great Britain in the Nineteenth Century. Though cancelled at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 due to bad weather, rowing cemented its Olympic status in the early 1900s.

On the rowing boat, athletes are identified by their position in the boat. The athlete sitting in the part of the boat that crosses the finish line first is the No. 1 seat or 'bow'.

The rower crosses the finish line last is known as the stroke. The stroke of the boat must be a strong rower with excellent technique, as the stroke is the person who sets the rhythm of the boat for the rest of the rowers.