This is your JRN Weekly briefing covering the developments of the last week in three key areas. If you have a story to share, contact our news desk at juniorrowingnews@gmail.com
Covid-19 & World News
“It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest – possibly in time for Christmas,”
The Prime Minister
As the world fractures over the benefits of face coverings, the British Prime Minister has announced his plans for the nation to return to normality by Christmas, whilst in Australia, a surge in cases has caused a fresh wave of concern to wash over residents.
In an article for BBC News, Medical Correspondent Fergus Walsh promoted the idea of a daily ‘spit test’ as a major step in returning to normality. Keith Godfrey of the University of Southhampton who is leading the trial investigating the potential of saliva tests said “The salivary glands are the first place in the body that the virus infects. It seems people become positive in their saliva before the rest of their breathing tubes.”
Of course, weekly spit-tests couldn’t be cheap – some estimates put the price at around £1Bn a month; yet proponents argue that this is a tiny fraction of the economic cost of Coronavirus, which the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates will be around 300Bn this year alone.
As Britain prepares to begin to formally ease lockdown restrictions even further, councils in England have been given new powers to implement and enforce their own regional lockdowns. Speaking on the issue, Boris Johnson told reporters that these changes would allow councils to respond more quickly to lockdowns “where speed is paramount.”
Scotland, which was leading the UK in terms of rate-reduction, has since reported a dramatic spike in cases. The Scottish government said 21 cases had been detected in the last 24 hours – eight of them within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – more cases in a 24 window that any other since the 21st June.
In Wales meanwhile, major national heritage sites will begin to re-open from next months. Unesco (a UN Agency) World Heritage Sites such as the castles at Beaumaris, Conwy and Harlech will be reopened by August. Scottish officials have said that social distancing will be maintained by encouraging visitors to book tickets in advance in order that numbers can be properly managed.
Thousands of Brits were due to jet-off on their summer holidays this month, but the tourism industry has also had to adapt to Covid-19, meaning cancellations for the majority of holidaymakers. Those who have been advised that their holiday will be unable to go ahead will be issued with Credit Notes, rather than cash, although the relevant authorities have confirmed that these would continue to be valid even in the event of the issuing company collapsing.
While Number 10 has advised shoppers to prepare for the introduction of mandatory face coverings in public, the White House has taken a different approach, with President Trump informing the American public that he will not enforce mask-wearing. Mr Trump’s comments come in the wake of Dr Anthony Fauci’s statement suggesting that face coverings will be a necessary evil if the US is to ever succeed in reducing the infection rate.
The headline news this weekend, however, has been the death of the last of the great-six civil rights campaigners, John Lewis. Mr Lewis died at the age of 80 after fighting pancreatic cancer; former US Presidents and foreign leaders have joined in paying tribute to the legacy of one of the organisers of the famous 1963 Washington March, whilst at the White House, flags were flown at half-mast as a sign of respect.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, has changed its policy regarding the display of Confederate flags on military sites, with new guidance prohibiting the display of the flag that is synonymous with pro-slavery states during the US Civil War.
in Iran, President Hassan Rouhani has stated that 25 million Iranians have been infected by Covid-19; an estimate over 100-times greater than all previous statistics from Iran’s officials. The same report that Mr Rouhani quoted also states that around 14,000 have died in Iran as a result of infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Meanwhile, the case of Shamima Begum’s citizenship has taken a new turn as the Court of Appeal rules that she can return to the UK to appeal the decision that would leave her without a national identity. Under international law, a nation can only revoke citizenship if the individual in question will not be left stateless by the decision. Speaking from the Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Flaux told the world that “Fairness and justice must, on the facts of this case, outweigh the national security concerns, so that the leave to enter appeals should be allowed.”
Iran has agreed to send a flight recorder – or black box – to France for further examination, currently scheduled to take place later today. Flight PS752 was shot down by two Iranian missiles earlier this year, killing all 176 onboard. Tehran initially denied responsibility for the incident, but later accepted responsibility calling it an “unforgivable mistake” after Western intelligence officials said that evidence pointed to Iranian involvement.
Tunisia has seen a wave of protests in the south of the country as protesters block around half of the country’s oil supply, demanding greater investment in the region that remains one of the poorest in the country. French journalists of AFP reported that protesters feel leaders’ promises to increase investment in the region in 2017 have not been up upheld.
In India, the number of Coronavirus cases continues to the rise, with the total number of infections reaching 1 million over the weekend. These latest results mean India has joined an exclusive – and disturbing – club of only three nations to have confirmed over a million cases*.
Australia has delayed the re-opening of Parliament as cases in Victoria and New South Wales surge, Melbourne alone saw a record number of new cases over the weekend, with 317 confirmed in a brief 24-hour window.
British Rowing:
“After training for four months in kitchens, living rooms and gazebos around the UK, our Olympic squads are heading off on a well earned summer break.”
British Rowing
This week marks the end of the 2020 season for Men’s and Women’s National Squads, whilst also serving as a reminder once again on what Covid-19 has taken away from the rowing community.
The British Junior Rowing Championships is a highlight of many Juniors’ rowing careers; nothing can imitate the innate camaraderie between cremates as they battle Nottingham’s waves on a blustery summer’s day. Coronavirus has, however, made sure that no such sportsmanship will be on display at the National Water Sports Centre this year, with the event becoming another victim of the pandemic. If you want to transport yourself back in time to when Brit Champs was a weekend to be remembered, you can check out our special podcast episode here.
That’s not to say that the season hasn’t ended on a high, however, with Berkshire resident Rob Camm rowing 16.25 miles to raise funds to safeguard the neurorehabilitation care that has helped him regain control of his life after a car crash in 2013. Rob remains paralysed across his body, apart from his neck, so took on the challenge using a purpose-built rowing machine that gave him the ability to row the length of Gloucester/Sharpness Canal.
The season has – for many – come to a close, and as such, all eyes are now firmly fixed on what October will bring. The British National Squads have spent recent months training from home, while a select few have trialled on-water sessions at Caversham in order to assess the state of readiness at the National training centre in anticipation of full-squad return after the summer break.
International Rowing:
“How much pain does it take to be a rower?”
World Rowing
In the US rowing is set to take a major hit in post-virus financial cutbacks from Universities and colleges, whilst on the International circuit, further delays have caused frustration amongst junior rowers.
Dartmouth became the sixth facility in the US last week to announce it was axing part of its rowing programme, much to the disappointment of athletes both at Dartmouth and further-afield. To find out more about what this means for the future of lightweight rowing in the US, we spoke to the lightweight squad – find the full article here.
The International Olympic Committee announced this week that the 2022 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar will be postponed from 2022 to 2026. Dakar 2022 was the first-ever Olympic event planned for Africa, and while the decision is disappointing, the IOC wishes to highlight that the decision “allows the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the National Olympic Committees and the International Federations to better plan their activities”.
The Head of the Charles is, for many, the pinnacle of the head racing calendar, yet despite the highest of hopes from athletes across the globe, the decision has been made to cancel this year’s regatta with Covid-19 still expected to be a major threat into the next season. HOCR will instead be running a global virtual regatta, detailed in their latest press release.
World Rowing have continued their exploration of the relationship between pain and rowing success with a discussion with Canada’s Zak Lewis to find out about the work his team has done to further understand what researchers call the Synchrony Effect in rowers. For a full run-down of what these results show, check out the original article here.
FISA have also announced their next athlete of the month and rising star, with reigning European women’s pair champion Aina Cid of Spain taking the crown, while all eyes are firmly set on Italy’s Luca Chiumento who is the world’s latest rising star.
That’s all for this week’s briefing. Be sure to tune in next week for the latest news, advice, and analysis.
Until then, catch the latest episodes of our podcast here, and keep up with content from across our team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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Stay Safe
Ed Evans
Opinions Editor
*Iran’s claims of 25 million cases are yet to be verified by the WHO.
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