World Rowing, which was officially called the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron (FISA) until 2020, is the governing body of world rowing. Since it was founded 125 years ago, it has made many changes in the rules and regulations that it sets for international events in order to adapt with the times. Several of the most significant of these – and particularly those which impacted women”s rowing – are listed below.

Year	Event
1892	FISA founded
1893	First European Championships (men only, 2,000m)
1900	First Olympic regatta (men only, 2,000m)
1954	First Women’s European Rowing Championships (1,000m)
1962	First World Rowing Championships (men only, 2,000m)
1967	First FISA Youth Regatta (men only, 1,500m)
1970	FISA Youth Regatta becomes FISA Youth Championships
1974	Coxless quads added to men’s programme for the first time
1974	Women’s events in the World Rowing Championships for first time (1,000m), including pair (not previously in Europeans)
1974	World Rowing Championships become annual
1974	Lightweight men first included in World Rowing Championships
1976	Women’s events in the Olympics for the first time (1,000m)
1976	Match des Seniors for Under 23s started, independent of FISA
1978	Women’s events in FISA Youth Championships for first time (1,000m)
1984	Test event for women’s lightweights (2,000m)
1985	Women’s events move to 2,000m from 1,000m (except juniors)
1985	Women’s quad becomes coxless (juniors and seniors)
1985	Lightweight women’s events first included in World Championships
1985	FISA Youth Championships becomes World Rowing Junior Championships
1985	Junior women’s events move to 1,500m from 1,000m
1989	Women’s four becomes coxless (juniors and seniors)
1989	All junior events move to 2,000m from 1,500m
1991	Start given in English not French
1992	Last year of men’s 2+ and 4+ at Olympics
1995	Women’s lightweight 2- introduced at World Rowing Championships
1996	Women’s lightweight 2x, men’s lightweight 2x and lightweight 4- introduced at Olympics
1997	Women’s lightweighht 4- replaced with women’s lightweight 4x at World Rowing Championships
2002	First official Under 23 Regatta
2002	Adaptive events added to World Rowing Championships
2003	Last year of lightweight women’s 2- at World Rowing Championships (reinstated 2018)
2005	U23 Regatta becomes World Rowing Under 23 Championships
2007	Last year of men’s 4+ at World Rowing Championships
2007	European Rowing Championships reintroduced, for European countries and Israel only)
2008	Adaptive events added to Paralympic Games
2012	Women’s 4- removed from World Rowing Championships (non-Olympic boat classes) for one year only
2015	Last year of men’s lightweight 8o at World Rowing Championships
2017	Sex of cox no longer has to be the same as crew
2017	Last year of men’s 2+ and lightweight men’s 4- at the World Rowing Championships
2018	Women’s lightweight 2- reintroduced at the World Rowing Championships
2020	Women’s 4- reintroduced to Olympic programme. First Olympic Games with parity of events and places for men’s and women’s boats
2022	World Rowing Junior Champonships becomes World Rowing Under 19 Championships