Nearly 700 competitors from 54 countries are registered to compete on the famous Rotsee regatta course, making it the largest field of the season.

The men’s single sculls has 36 entries with much of the attention likely to be on New Zealand’s Robert Manson.

Manson posted a world best time of 6min 30.74sec at last month’s World Rowing Cup II in Polish city Poznań, knocking three seconds off the previous best set five years ago.

The 27-year-old will face competition from the respective Rio 2016 silver and bronze medallists, Damir Martin of Croatia and Ondřej Synek of Czech Republic.

A world best time was also set in the women’s pair at World Rowing Cup II as New Zealand’s Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast completed the event in 6:49.08.

They arrive as favourites in Lucerne, where Olympians Tracy Eisser and Megan Kalmoe of the United States are expected to be among their biggest challengers.

In the men’s pair, Croatian brothers Valent and Martin Sinković will be up against European champions Matteo Lodo and Giuseppe Vicino of Italy, as well as the winners at World Rowing Cup II, France’s Valentin and Theophile Onfroy.

The Sinković siblings are the reigning world and Olympic champions in the men’s double sculls but have changed boat class to the men’s pair for 2017.

Norway’s Olaf Tufte and Kjetil Borch claimed the Rio 2016 bronze medal in the men’s double sculls and will be competing in Lucerne against the likes of European champions Luca Rambaldi and Filippo Mondelli of Italy

New Zealand’s John Storey and Christopher Harris, the World Rowing Cup II winners, will also battle it out for honours along with Polish duo Dominik Czaja and Adam Wicenciak. 

The US women’s eight team, the reigning Olympic and world champions, will be in a new formation in Lucerne having been beaten at World Rowing Cup II for only the second time since 2006.

They will be up against their counterparts from Great Britain, New Zealand and Romania.

Racing is due to begin tomorrow with heats before progressing through repechages, semi-finals and finals.

The finals for international boat classes will be raced on Saturday (July 8), while those for the World Cup boat classes will be raced on Sunday (July 9).

The World Rowing Cup series was launched in 1997 and consists of a series of three events.

The overall World Rowing Cup winners are determined after the third event.

Great Britain is the leading country after World Rowing Cup II, followed by Poland and The Netherlands.

The 2017 World Rowing Championships are scheduled to take place in the American cities of Sarasota and Bradenton from September 23 to October 1.