The "scull" portion means that each 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.

All other boats progress to the repechage round, which offers a second chance to qualify for "Final A".

Unsuccessful boats from the repechage must proceed to final B, which determines the last three places, from 7–9.

The final ranking for this event was based on the order of finish.

The top three teams earned Olympic medals for placing first, second, and third, while the remaining "Final A" teams placed fourth through sixth, according to their final finish.