A rower may compete in an under-23 rowing event until 31st of December of the year in which he/she reaches the age of 22. Under-23 rowers tend to be rowers who are too old to race as juniors but are still in need of further development before they can rank among senior rowers competing at the Olympic Games and the senior World Rowing Championships.
Under-23 rowers are generally selected by their national federation following trials and then ranked for international under-23 rowing on the basis of their age. Many under-23 rowers are university students and some also row for their university. University rowing is one core area of the sport of rowing. There are a number of university regattas over various distances throughout the year. University rowing in the United States is especially big and prestigious.
The best university athletes can be selected for the World University Rowing Championships, staged every two years. Many elite rowers first started rowing at university.
