The matter had been discussed at the FISA congress held in conjunction with the 1967 European Rowing Championships in Vichy.

Delighted with the new status, the president of the East German rowing association, Alfred Bruno Neumann [de], volunteered to check whether his country could host the championships, and the eventual answer was positive.

[4] The chosen venue was the Grünau Regatta Course, which had previously been used for the 1936 Summer Olympics, and later for the 1962 European Rowing Championships.

[6] In early June, the Deutsche Post of the GDR issued three stamps depicting notable sporting events in East Germany that year.

[8] Gisela Jäger and Rita Schmidt surprisingly won gold in the double sculls after just four weeks of training together.