African qualifying regatta awards 10 more places in Rio 2016 Olympic Games rowing events
Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Zimbabwe and Nigeria secured spots in the Olympic regatta at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas next year
Micheen Thornycroft of Zimbabwe has qualified her country for Rio 2016 (Getty Images/Harry How)
Ten more places in the rowing competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games have been won, World Rowing has confirmed. Five men's and five women's slots were at stake in the African Continental Qualification Regatta, held in Tunis, Tunisia. The successful nations were as follows:
Men's single sculls - Egypt*, Tunisia, Algeria, Zimbabwe
Women's single sculls - Zimbabwe, Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt
Men's lightweight double sculls - Egypt*
Women's lightweight double sculls - Tunisia
*According to qualification rules, a National Olympic Committee (NOC) may only qualify a maximum of one male and one female boat per continental qualification regatta. So, Egypt will have to select one of the two male crews qualified at this event. If the men's single sculls slot is chosen, then Angola will inherit the men's lightweight double sculls place. If the Egyptians keep the men's lightweight double sculls slot, Libya will earn the men's single sculls place.
A total of 215 boats (121 male, 94 female) and 550 athletes (331 male, 219 female) will line up in the Rio 2016 rowing regatta. After the 2015 World Championships, which decided 129 Olympic rowing places, the African regatta was the first of four continental qualification events to earn slots for Rio. The Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in May will be the last chance to qualify for Rio 2016.
