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Gusty winds put off Olympic rowing
August 15, 2004 17:50 IST
Monday's racing at the Olympic rowing regatta has been cancelled due to expected bad weather, organisers say.
There had been a year of warnings that Schinias was the wrong choice of venue for two of the watersports.
A test regatta at Schinias in 2003 was thrown into chaos after gusting winds, traditional in August, caused several crews to sink.
Matt Smith, chief executive of the sport's governing body FISA, said on Sunday they had announced their decision early to stop the spectators travelling to the venue.
Tickets for Monday will be used on Tuesday and not refunded.
"The wind (speed) during the final races today was six metres per second gusting to eight. Tomorrow ... we have a forecast of 11 metres per second gusting to 15," he told reporters.
Smith said the forecasts had been very accurate so far.
The organisers now plan to hold Monday's racing programme on Tuesday and possibly later in the day as the wind is predicted to drop.
Sunday's racing was held in fast but blustery conditions which were set to deteriorate later in the day.
Several crews have adapted their boats for the rough conditions, adding spray guards and raising the sides of the boats to prevent water getting in.
Some squads have also added electronic pumps similar to those used in sailing but it is thought most crews did not use them on Sunday as the weather was not too rough and they add extra weight.
The Olympic finals are due on Saturday and Sunday but organisers have a spare day on Friday which could be used for racing.
Following the disruption of the 2003 junior world championships, FISA revised the international racing rules to allow for the course to be reduced to 1,000 metres from 2,000 in the worst case scenario.
Under the new rules, racing could also be held first thing in the morning or later in the evening and six-lane racing could be reduced to a single-file time-trial.
Locals to the venue warned last year the site was not suitable for flat-water rowing and canoeing in August due to the winds that arrive each year, called Meltemia.