FISA Turns 125

Rowing’s international governing body has  a birthday coming up. On June 25, the Federation Internationale des Societies d’Aviron, also known as FISA, will celebrate the 125 mark. Founded in 1892—two years before rower and father of the modern Olympic movement Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee—FISA played a critical role in helping to standardize the sport, creating rules around international competition, instituting technical specifications for equipment, and dealing with the widespread corruption during rowing’s professional era. More recently, the governing body has focused on opening the sport to new audiences, including coastal rowers and para-athletes.