Each time two teams of eight rowers start side by side, comparable to the iconic rowing competition between Oxford and Cambridge. The 52 eights, a boat with eight rowers, cover five kilometers against each other on the water. According to organizer Frank Pottie, it is a unique experience: “It has been that teams from Europe to Bruges to open the season for thirty years. It is the first major game on the Belgian calendar, but for many European teams this is a unique opportunity in a special competition formula of 5km.”
