There are eight men's and six women's events, including three lightweight races in which there is a maximum weight limit of 59kg for a single woman, a 57kg average for a female crew, a maximum 72.5kg for men and an average of 70kg for a male crew. Rowers sit with their backs to the direction in which they are travelling and the oars are fixed in a fulcrum - where canoeists face the way they are travelling and the paddle is free.
Boats have one, two, four or eight rowers.
The eights have a cox, who sits at the front of the crew to steer the boat and direct the crew. In other boats steering is carried out by one rower who operates a small rudder with a foot pedal. In each event, crews are divided into groups and race over four days. Whether there is a losers' race depends on how many boats are entered. There is a drawn out procedure at the start of races to ensure all crews start evenly.