Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's lightweight double sculls
Men's lightweight double sculls competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held between August 10 and 17 at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.
This rowing event is a double scull event, meaning that each boat is propelled by a pair of 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. As a lightweight rowing competition, the body mass of the rowers was limited to a maximum of 72.5 kilograms each and 70 kilograms on average.
The competition consisted of multiple rounds. Finals were held to determine the placing of each boat; these finals were given letters with those nearer to the beginning of the alphabet meaning a better ranking. Semifinals were named based on which finals they fed, with each semifinal having two possible finals.
During the first round four heats were held. The top two boats in each heat advanced to the A/B semifinals, while all others were relegated to the repechage. In the repechage, two more heats were held. The top two boats in each of those heats also advanced to the A/B semifinals, while the remaining boats were sent to the C/D semifinals.
Four semifinals were held, two each of A/B semifinals and the C/D semifinals. For each semifinal race, the top three boats moved on to the better of the two finals, while the bottom three boats went to the lesser of the two finals possible. For example, a second-place finish in an A/B semifinal would result in advancement to the A final.
The third and final round was the Finals. Each final determined a set of rankings. The A final determined the medals, along with the rest of the places through 6th. The B final gave rankings from 7th to 12th, the C from 13th to 18th, and so on.
Schedule
All times are China Standard Time| Date | Time | Round |
| Sunday, August 10, 2008 | 15:20-16:00 | Heats |
| Tuesday, August 12, 2008 | 16:20-16:40 | Repechages |
| Friday, August 15, 2008 | 15:10-15:30 | Semifinals C/D |
| Friday, August 15, 2008 | 15:50-16:10 | Semifinals A/B |
| Saturday, August 16, 2008 | 14:00-14:10 | Final D |
| Saturday, August 16, 2008 | 14:20-14:30 | Final C |
| Saturday, August 16, 2008 | 14:40-14:50 | Final B |
| Sunday, August 17, 2008 | 15:50-16:00 | Final A |