The country is being scoured for rowers who might be able to make the rostrum at the 2012 Olympics, as part of GB Rowing’s World Class Start Talent ID Programme.

GB Rowing, together with UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport are organising five weekends over the next two months, where the public will be asked to step up and be tested to see whether they have the initial characteristics to be an Olympic rower in the time frame for 2012.

All those attending have responded to a nationwide call on the UK Sport website asking for exceptionally tall people to come forward: men over 6 ft 3 and women over 6 ft.

The assessments look at physical features similar to Olympic rowers, a head to head ergo trial to test competitive spirit and a bike test for endurance.

Peter Shakespear, who runs GB Rowing’s World Class Start scheme is pleased with the response: “If the early indications of the standard of athletes are accurate, then this could be the most powerful single identification tool any country has ever seen to recruit outstanding rowers.”

Any of those who show promise are invited to meet the talent identification coach and the performance development manager to talk about coming onto the elite sport programme.

Those who are wanted to pursue the challenge are then enlisted at their regional centre to start the intense coaching programme.

Lack of experience isn’t an issue: some of those already in the senior team had been found through the talent identification programme and had never rowed before, but showed the right mental and physical attributes.