As rowing progressed as a competitive sport, some great rivalries began to develop. In 1928 the first Oxford-Cambridge race took place. 24 years later, the United States followed suit with the first Yale-Harvard face-off in 1952. These rivalries paved the way for rowing to be a part of the first Olympics in 1896.
The 1896 Athens Olympics, the first games of modern times, had Rowing on the program but due to inclement weather conditions the athletes were unable to compete. Rowing finally made its debut in the 1900 Paris Olympics. Women's events were added to the program in 1976.
The dominant national teams during the 20th Century were the United States of America, The Soviet Union, and East Germany.
