Henley Regatta row as private school demands 'closed shop' competition

Henley Regatta row as private school demands ‘closed shop’ following decision to open prestigious event to US and international schools

• Henley Regatta chairman Steve Redgrave said one public school ‘didn’t want it’
• It comes as a junior competition will welcome international teams for first time

A top private school has said it wants the Henley Regatta rowing event to remain a ‘closed shop’, the race’s chairman has said.

Sir Steve Redgrave, chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta, said one major British private school feared opening up the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup to international teams would mean students competing against ‘superclubs’.

It comes as the six-day regatta, which begins on Tuesday, will for the first time allow international entrants to the junior men’s eights, as well as teams from British private and state schools.

Sir Steve said he attended a meeting of 55 schools where one private school, which he didn’t name, wanted the cup to remain closed to international competitors.

But he added it was going to happen ‘sooner or later’ and it was the ‘right thing to do’.

Sir Steve Redgrave (pictured), chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta and Olympian, said one major British private school feared opening up the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup to international teams would mean students will have to compete against ‘superclubs’

It comes as the six-day regatta, which begins on Tuesday, will for the first time allow international entrants to the junior men’s eights, as well as teams from British private and state schools

In a podcast this month, Sir Steve was asked whether schools, including Eton College, St Paul’s School and St Edward’s School, should be concerned about the rise of ‘big US clubs coming over to race – they are very fast’.

He said: ‘One of those top schools didn’t want it. But it was going to happen sooner or later. We can’t stop this, in fact it’s the right thing to do.’

Sir Steve explained that rowing cities in the United States were ‘huge’ and clubs were state-wide and not school-oriented like in Britain.

He said this meant their rowing clubs were a ‘little bit bigger’ because they draw upon rowers from more schools.

The chairman added: ‘What we don’t want is any country to be able to put a crew together, which is almost then a national eight [team]. 

‘It’s not an event for national eights – it’s for the top juniors from their rowing establishments.’

The regatta near Henley-on-Thames was established in 1839. The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup began in 1946, but only allowed entrants from public schools 

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