Olympics Rowing Service report 1

Subject: Olympics-Rowing-Scullers up in arms about camerasDate: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 11:50:08 PDTOrganization: Copyright 1996 by Reuters  	  				 	 ATLANTA, July 22 (Reuter) - Already up in arms about  transport to their venue, rowers complained on Monday about an unwelcome passenger in their boats. 	 Competitors in the single sculls events are unhappy about  the miniature television cameras attached to the stern of each boat. Officials are considering whether to retain them, remove them or just switch them off. 	 ``When your boat only weighs 14 kg (31 lb) an extra kg (two  lb) is a real burden,'' British sculler Guin Batten said in an interview. 	 ``The camera is such a long way from the centre of the boat.  If we had known about it earlier we could have adjusted our positions within the boat.'' 	 Germany's Thomas Lange, reigning champion in the men's  sculls, said he had been expecting the 0.95 kg (two lb) camera to weigh just 0.5 kg (one lb). 	 ``The problem is the entire balance and run are being  affected in the boats,'' he said after his race on Sunday. 	 The camera does not present such a problem in the bigger  boats. 	 Borge Kaas Andersen, an official with the international  rowing organisation FISA, said national federations were told about the cameras last year. 	 ``I think it more psychological than anything else,'' he  said. ``Each sculler rows in their own personal zone and the pictures get a little too close.'' 	 Kaas Andersen said they had not switched the cameras on  during the heats to allow the scullers more time to get used to them. FISA will decide whether or not to use or even carry the cameras after speaking to more of the scullers.