Rowing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's double sculls

The men's double sculls event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place from 23 to 28 July 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. 26 rowers from 13 nations competed.

Background
This was the 25th appearance of the event, which was not held at the first Games in 1896 (when bad weather forced the cancellation of all rowing events), at the 1908 games, and at the 1912 games.

The defending medalists in the event were Croatia, Lithuania, and Norway. Lithuania is the only 2016 medalist in the competition.

Qualification
Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) was limited to a single boat (one rower) in the event since 1912. There were 13 qualifying places in the men's double sculls:


 * 11 from the 2019 World Championship
 * 2 from the final qualification regatta

Competition format
This rowing event is a double scull event, meaning that each boat is propelled by two rowers. The "scull" portion means that the rower uses two oars, one on each side of the boat; this contrasts with sweep rowing in which each rower has one oar and rows on only one side. The competition consists of multiple rounds. The competition continues to use the three-round format. Finals are held to determine the placing of each boat. The course uses the 2000 metres distance that became the Olympic standard in 1912.

During the first round three heats were held. The first three boats in each heat advanced to the semifinals, with the others relegated to the repechages.

The repechage is a round which offered rowers a second chance to qualify for the semifinals. Placing in the repechage determined which semifinal the boat would race in. The top three boats in the repechage move on to the semifinals, with the remaining boats being eliminated.

Two semifinals were held, each with 6 boats. The top three boats from each heat advanced to Final A and compete for a medal. The remaining boats advanced to Final B.

The third and final round was the finals. Each final determines a set of rankings. The A final determined the medals, along with the rest of the places through 6th, while the B final gives rankings from 7th to 12th.

Schedule
The competition was held over six days.

All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)

Heats
The first three of each heat qualified for the semifinals, while the remainder went to the repechage.

Repechage
The first three pairs in the repechage qualified for the semifinals, while the fourth pair was eliminated.

Semifinals
The first three of each heat qualify to the Final A, other to Final B