This was the live feed covering the announcement from Henley Royal Regatta on the 15th February 2021. This page is no longer actively updated.
Key Points:
- The original regatta (29th June – 4th July) will not go ahead as planned
- Stewards are considering a delayed regatta at Henley, as well as a move to Dorney Lake
- There remains a strong possibility of total cancellation
- The proposed dates for a rescheduled Henley-based regatta (10-15th August) clashes with the World Rowing Junior Championships
- Read Tom Morgan’s piece on the prospect of a second year without meaningful racing
- Watch our playlist of top training videos
- Listen to our Ode to Henley Royal Regatta after it’s cancellation in 2020
What’s Happening?
Just few weeks after we received confirmation that National Schools’ Regatta will not go ahead as initially planned, a letter to Henley Royal Regatta’s members has confirmed that a similar fate has befallen the bastion of British and International rowing.
In the letter to members, Chairman Sir Steve Redgrave outlined the problems facing the regatta committee.
He confirmed that the original regatta (29th June – 4th July) would not go ahead.
Following this, the committee has set-out three potential outcomes for this year’s regatta:
Firstly, outright cancellation. It was made clear that this option had been decided against at this stage, given the unclear nature of an evolving situation.
Secondly, the potential for a delayed regatta in Henley over the 10th to 15th August. The regatta would likely occur with either a “limited number of spectators” or “behind closed doors”. It remains unclear precisely what each of these options would entail.
Finally, a loose proposal for a regatta to be held at Dorney lake at some point in August. Again, the exact nature of the event remains unclear.
Potential problems facing any rescheduled event are rapidly becoming apparent.
Sir Steve confirmed that – if the regatta were to be held in Henley at a later date – the land would not formally be under the Stewards’ control, casting doubt over how the regatta would function.
Any delay to the event’s timing is likely to be problematic for the majority of clubs and schools, who will struggle to maintain training into the latter part of the summer holidays.
There is also a potentially damaging clash of dates, with HRR possibly falling on the same week as the World Rowing Junior Championships.
The regatta has – in addition to the letter to members – published a formal press release.
Much like its sister document, the realise cites the fact that despite promising news from the UK vaccine rollout, the situation remains murky and unclear – the PM is expected to announce a “Roadmap out of Lockdown” on the 22nd February, with daily Number 10 briefings in the meantime.
The committee also affirms their desire to promote public health above all competing interests, confirming the “possibility therefore remains that the 2021 Regatta may ultimately be cancelled.”
Further news on what exactly we can expect from HRR this year is set to be available before the end of March. In the meantime, the regatta is encouraging clubs and athletes to provide feedback on the proposals outlined today, in order to better inform future decision making.
Currently, over 80% of respondents to our survey have suggested that today’s announcement is negative.
Your Responses:
We asked you what your thoughts are on today’s news – we had a huge number of responses. Here’s just a taste…
The good:
- “Makes a nice change for clubs to be at an advantage for once”
- “Any regatta is better than no regatta at all for the second year in a row”
- “Better than nothing”
- “Not a surprise, glad they have a plan B and C”
- “Any slight glimmer of hope that there is some racing is good news no matter what!”
The bad:
- “ffs”
- “A regatta at Dorney just won’t be the same”
- “Feels like this season is slowly fading away :(“
- “Henley 2022 there we come 🤕”
- What are schools and unis gonna do?”
- “For people in yr13 they won’t ever have got to race Henley”
- “School crews might struggle with this… there must be ways to stay at Henley during July”
- “Racing anywhere other than the Henley stretch won’t make any sense”
The ugly:
- “No thought for school or uni crews”
- It clashes with junior worlds”
- “Extra 2 months of training for nothing kind of sucks”
- “Went to uni to row, now I’m stuck with only the uni work”
- “F**k Dorney. Most soulless course in the UK.”
The…funny?
- “EtOn HaVe ThE hOmE aDvAnTaGe”
- “Where’s Mahiki going to fit at Dorney?”
- “Ight imma hold Henley in a paddling pool”
- “Are they going to make Dorney 112m longer?”
Sir Steve’s Letter in Full:
End
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