A row between Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs over Boat Race rules surrounding selection has seen three rowers banned.
Matt Heywood – a former under-23 world champion – Molly Foxell and Kate Cowley will not be able to compete for Cambridge because they do not have “degree level” qualifications.
The trio are PGCE – Postgraduate Certificate in Education – students, something which led to Oxford raising objections. The university argued that PGCE’s were “certificates” and not degrees.
An independent interpretation panel, not organisers the Boat Race Company themselves, made the final decision which led to the triple exclusion.
It has led Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist Imogen Grant to claim the selection for the Boat Race, which this year will be sponsored by Chanel for the first time, was “very unfair”.
“Nothing has changed in the joint agreement. PGCE students were racing before – it’s written down,” she added. “It’s the interpretation which has changed.
“It upsets me because the Boat Race is iconic, because it’s a massive showcase, an age-old rivalry.
“It only stays exciting if you have the best crews racing and we are getting tied down in semantics.
“We want to see the best race. That’s why we watch, not quibbling whether a degree counts or not.”
Boat Race: all out oar
The Boat Race has not been without drama over the last few years, despite overall Cambridge dominance across recent men’s and women’s races, after last year’s race along the Thames was marred by E. coli and faeces in the famous river.
Speaking on the independent decision to disallow the entry of three rowers, The Boat Race Company said: “This is an extremely competitive process and there are strict (publicly available) eligibility criteria for being considered for a place in a crew.
“Those criteria are jointly agreed by the two competing clubs, with no involvement from any third party.
“Similarly, both clubs agree to the existence and ultimate authority of an independent interpretation panel to provide rulings on any disputes, or to clarify rules where necessary.
“The clubs are signatories to a joint agreement and agree to be bound by a ruling of the interpretation panel with no further recourse.”