HRR Stewards' Meeting 2004

The Rowing Service

Press release issued by Henley Royal Regatta 8th December 2004

HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA STEWARDS' DECEMBER MEETING 2004

Regatta Accounts and Finances

The Regatta¹s income rose by 8% to just over £2 million while expenditure rose by only 1.8% to nearly £1.7 million. This allowed the Regatta to make a record donation to the Stewards¹ Charitable Trust of £250,000.

Henley Royal Regatta Limited, the Regatta¹s trading arm, also performed very well and was able to make a donation to the Stewards¹ Charitable Trust of £190,000, also a record.

The Stewards¹ Charitable Trust was pleased to continue with its support of the Scholarship Scheme whereby students, located in different regions of the United Kingdom, are working to achieve coaching qualifications at academic institutions while also building a coaching infrastructure at rowing clubs in their areas. The number of Scholarships has just been increased, from five to seven, with appointments in Scotland and Wales.

During the past year the Trust has disbursed over £100,000 to a number of projects, including the Scholarship Scheme, a Biodynamics Research project and the Rowing Foundation.

Committee of Management for 2005

Mr. Christopher Davidge, O.B.E. has retired from the Committee of Management after 31 years of service. His place on the Committee has been taken by Mr. Richard Stanhope.

Amendments to the Qualification Rules

The Thames, Temple, Wyfold and Britannia Challenge Cups and The Men¹s Student Coxed Fours.
Each of these events presently excludes oarsmen who have rowed or sculled in the Olympic Games, a FISA Senior World Championship etc. This is to ensure that oarsmen of too high a calibre are not allowed to compete in these Club and Student events.

The Stewards have decided that any oarsman who has rowed or sculled in an Olympic Qualification Regatta should also be excluded from competing in these events. Prior to the Athens Olympics there were four such Qualification Regattas ­ in Asia, Africa, South / Central America and, the final one, in Europe.

Amendments to the General Rules

Medical Substitution
The Stewards have decided to amend the Rule regarding Medical Substitution to allow a competitor to be substituted out of a crew for medical reasons (with the consent of the Committee) and then to be substituted back into the crew later if the competitor¹s medical condition has improved (again subject to the consent of the Committee).

The Princess Royal Challenge Cup
In the last six years the entry in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup for Women Single Scullers has dropped significantly and there has been no need for Qualifying Races. The recent introduction of two new events for women (for Eights and for Quadruple Sculls) has clearly had an effect on the number of entries in the Princess Royal.

The Stewards are concerned to maintain a high standard in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup and have, therefore, decided to reduce the Prescribed Number of Entries for this event to eight.

8th December 2004