25th May 2020: Your Weekly Briefing

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 Update:

“But looking at his intentions and what he was trying to do for the good of his family, I really think most people will understand what he was doing.”

The Prime Minister

In a week dominated by Westminster squabbles and polarised opinions, is it possible we’ve lost our way in this pandemic?

All eyes were on the Prime Minister last night after a series of allegations concerning his Chief Political Adviser’s trip home were found swirling around in the public domain. Mr Johnson opened his press briefing by commenting on the matter, saying that Mr Cummings acted “responsibly and legally.”

This saga began after Mr Cummings was seen travelling to the family home to arrange childcare as both he and his wife prepared to be incapacitated by the coronavirus. After the PM’s statement, both opposition leaders and government allies jumped to condemn his actions. The new Labour Leader was quick to react on Twitter, saying “It is an insult to sacrifices made by the British people that Boris Johnson has chosen to take no action against Dominic Cummings.”

Similar statements followed from leaders of other opposition parties, alongside fallout within his own party. Pundits meanwhile have questioned the ambivalence of the public on the matter, with many believing it to be simply another Westminster squabble. Outside of his London home protesters gathered to share their feelings regarding the actions of Dominic Cummings, with the left-wing advocacy group Led by Donkeys going as far as to play footage from the Prime Minster’s National Address on a rented big screen.

Having covered the Cummings question, the next point of order last night was the proposed date for re-opening the Nation’s schools. The NEU and other teaching unions continue to oppose the 1st June start date, whilst the British Medical Association have switched to backing the move from the government, having initially opposed it alongside the teaching unions.

The debate centres around the practicalities of keeping teaching staff and children safe and adhering to social distancing whilst providing an effective education. The government has said that it is safe to move into Phase II of lifting lockdown restrictions, meaning it is practical to re-open primary schools and secondary schools for certain cohorts, with the latter beginning on the 15th June.

As the bickering continues on Twitter, news is coming in from elsewhere in the world that thousands of people are continuing to be infected – and killed – by Coronavirus. In Europe, Russia has reported a further 153 deaths, taking the total to 3,541 as of Sunday evening, whilst French and Spanish cities citizens eagerly await news on when parks and museums will re-open. Germany meanwhile is attempting to trace anyone who attended a church service in Frankfurt earlier this month after 107 worshipers test positive.

The death toll in Russia means that cases there are continuing to rise, as are infection numbers in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. It comes as many countries begin to ease lockdown restrictions. The White House National Security Adviser has told reporters that the US is likely to impose restrictions on travellers from Brazil entering the country over the summer.

Brazil is just one of a raft of South American countries severely affected by Covid-19. Argentina has extended its lockdown until the 7th June at the earliest, after the Capital saw a rise in cases over recent days. In Venezuela, the authorities have warned the US not to interfere with the delivery one a million barrels of oil as the nation struggles with fuel shortages brought on by the current pandemic, whilst in Chile, it’s reported that the healthcare system is close to breaking point.

In Asia, China has successfully tested over 2.4 million Wuhan citizens in two days as politicians urge the US to stop spreading “Conspiracies and lies” about China’s involvement in the outbreak, heightening tensions between Beijing and Washington. Across the Muslim world, millions are gathering for prayers celebrating Eid al-Fitr with communities in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia all holding their own festivities.

British Rowing:

“Now more than ever, we appreciate the strong community spirit at the heart of rowing”

RTHM, British Rowing

This week was an unusually busy one for rowing, with further updates on what we can expect for a return to the water, mental health and anti-doping campaigns, new ergo challenges and records, as well as the mourning of events lost to Coronavirus.

National Schools’ Regatta was due to take place last weekend, but as with every other sporting event at home and abroad, it too fell victim to the vice-like grip of Covid-19. Despite this obvious sadness, many hearts will have been warmed by the collective action of the rowing community to make the best of a bad situation. NSR themselves have been working with universities to provide a virtual ‘campus zone’ – more crucial now than ever – whilst rowers from across the British Isles have been sharing their favourite memories from regattas past. You can hear these memories, our thoughts and expert interviews in the NSR Special of our podcast.

To compensate for the lack of real-life racing, British Rowing had previously teamed up with their sister organisations around the world – such as Rowing Australia and Rowing Canada – to plan and execute the hugely successful one minute challenge that managed to bring athletes from around the world together. For those who enjoyed this event, there’s good news as British Rowing has teamed up with the same organisations once again to implement the Row to the Moon challenge.

British Rowing said in a press realise that, “The initiative invites indoor rowers worldwide to log their training metres on British Rowing’s online platform with the shared goal of accumulating, as one singular community, 384.4 million metres – the distance from Earth to the Moon.”

Away from racing, this week also saw two important issues raised on the national stage: Clean Sport and Mental Health.

It’s easy to underestimate the role that our mental wellbeing has on our performance both in and away from the boat. In this time of isolation, however, it’s crucial that this conversation is bought to the attention of everyone in our sport. Hundreds of psychiatric illnesses inflict themselves upon all levels of athletes, but during lockdown loneliness can – without the safety net of a social group to pick you back up – spiral into depressive symptoms. For a fuller understanding of loneliness and how you can help yourself and others, watch this video from Kurzgesagt.

Mental Health Awareness shared its week of highlighted importance with UKAD’s Clean Sport initiative with the topical aim of helping athletes stay clean in quarantine. UK Anti-Doping is encouraging athletes and coaches to refresh themselves on the rules and risks related to doping, including more unusual forms of substance abuse such as blood doping. If you want to find out more about the importance of sustaining the clean sport conversation, visit the UKAD website.

Whilst some of us return to the water, and others eagerly await the green light to follow suit, British Rowing has been aiming to improve access and understanding of guidelines for a safe return to the water. In their latest update, they have compiled all the current suggestions into a handy booklet which can be found on their website. In England restrictions on the kind of rowing activity that can take place varies by waterway, whilst in the rest of the UK, a blanket ban remains in place against the sport.

International Rowing:

“It is clear to everyone that international rowing is part of Lucerne’s DNA and the residents are proud of it. Especially in these difficult times, we feel the support of our hometown.”

World Rowing

It’s official: The world of rowing has gone online. This week saw the conclusion of the World Rowing Fantasy Cup series, a burst of social media nostalgia for some of the best rowing courses, the continuation of virtual racing, and the next stage of the highly controversial Instagram HRR Polls.

For those who have less inclination to jump on an erg and smash records, the World Rowing Fantasy Cup provides an excellent alternative; all the drama of International racing without leaving the comfort of your sofa. This week saw the series of fantasy world cups draw to a close and in spectacular fashion. Glover and Stanning took gold for Great Britain, as did Whiteley and Rowles, whilst the Germans beat GB to a win by a mere 300 votes. New Zealand enjoyed three wins in the Men’s Pair, Lightweight Women’s Double and Men’s Single, whilst on the Women’s side, Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus stormed to a clear victory.

Whilst the cancellation of National Schools’ Regatta was a tragedy for junior rowers in the UK, this week’s global sadness was peaked by the thought of an empty lake Rotsee. Rotesee has been part of International rowing since the start of the 20th Century, so much so that it made JRN’s list of Top Ten rowing destinations – check it out here.

As E-racing rolls on, Concept 2’s Spring VIII’s series has ended as a huge success story. With over 3,000 participants across 250 teams. The event aimed to bring people together in a series of races for each team, who then uploaded their scores to be ranked among athletes from across the globe. The women’s leaderboard was topped by a conglomerate team from the UK, US, and New Zealand, the Quaranqeens, whilst New Zealand also featured in the top men’s team, Garageathlete, with notable individuals such as Hamish Bond. Concept 2 plans to hold further, similar events shortly.

Although the last bastion of summer racing has already fallen, enthusiasm for the event remains feverishly high. Over the past few weeks, the HRR Instagram page has featured a series of polls designed to pit crews from previous years against one another to see who the rowing community believe would come out on top in a head-to-head. It’s fair to say these polls have stirred up some controversy, which will be explored in depth over coming episodes of our podcast.

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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. 

Stay Safe

Ed Evans 

Opinions Editor

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