The Head of the River Amstel is a

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

race held annually on the river

Amstel The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam. Annually, the riv ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on the 8 km track from Amsterdam to

Ouderkerk aan de Amstel Ouderkerk aan de Amstel () is a town in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is largely a part of the municipality of Ouder-Amstel; it lies about 9 km south of Amsterdam. A small part of the town lies in the municipality of Amstelvee ...

. The

Willem III Rowing Club Willem III Rowing Club is one of the largest and oldest rowing clubs in The Netherlands. It is located on the south side of Amsterdam, on the bank of the River Amstel. The club also has training facilities near the Bosbaan, the former Olympic cou ...

organises the race in association with the

Amsterdam Rowing Association Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban are ...

History

The

Head of the River Race The Head of the River Race (HORR) is an against-the-clock ('processional') sport rowing, rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England between eights, other such races being the Schools' Head of the River Race, Women's Head of ...

provided the inspiration for the Head of the River Amstel. The race was held for the first time in 1933 when the Women's Longdistance Championship of the Amstel, organised by Willem III and the Men's Longdistance Championship of the Amstel, organised by the ARB, merged. Since then the race grew to one of the biggest rowing events in the Netherlands with more than 500 boats and 4000 participants. For the first 75 years of its existence, the boats started in Ouderkerk and finished in the centre of Amsterdam. In 2007 this was turned around and the regatta now starts in Amsterdam and finishes in Ouderkerk. Headamstel

External links

Head of the River Amstel Amsterdam Rowing Association (Dutch)Willem III Rowing Club

References

{{Reflist Head races Recurring sporting events established in 1933 Rowing competitions in the Netherlands