The top three finishers from each of the heats advanced directly to the semifinals.
One was disqualified and the remaining 15 teams were relegated to the repechage heats.
Norway was disqualified for reasons not given in the official report.
Taking place on September 7, the top three competitors in each of the three repechages advanced to the semifinals.
The top three finishers in each of the three semifinals (raced on September 8) advanced to the final.