The 1972 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held at the regatta course on the Beetzsee in Brandenburg, which was then located in East Germany. There were five competitions for women only; the events for men were contested at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, instead. As World Rowing Championships were still held at four-year intervals at the time, the European Rowing Championships were open to nations outside of Europe and had become to be regarded as quasi-world championships.