The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
The five-day Henley Royal Regatta will kick off on Wednesday July 3.
This year, to commemorate the centenary of the 1919 Royal Henley Peace Regatta, Military VIIIs will come back from their 100-year hiatus and compete against each other once again.
According to the HRR website: “For the first time, male and female military athletes will row in the same boat at an elite international event. The King’s Cup will see crews from the original six nations of Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, the UK and the USA, joined by Germany and the Netherlands, competing in a knock-out format over the final three days of the 2019 Henley Royal Regatta.”
Sir Steve Redgrave, Chairman of the Regatta’s Committee of Management, said: “The Regatta is delighted to host such an important commemoration. The 1919 Royal Henley Peace Regatta was a key milestone in our sport and was staged by the rowing community to help heal wounds and hasten the return to normality of the Allied nations and their troops recovering from the First World War”.
But what is the Henley Royal Regatta?
The HRR is a rowing event that was established in 1839 and, since then, has been hosted annually in the town of Henley-on-Thames in England.
The Regatta generally lasts for five days, beginning and ending in the first week of July. The knock-out races are held on the ‘Straight Course’, about a mile long and 80 feet wide. The course was established in 1924 and runs from below the Berkshire side of Temple Island to finish at Poplar Point.
The modern Regatta sees over 200 races over the five-day period that can include Olympic-grade rowers and many HRR newcomers.
This year, the HRR reported receiving 660 entries for the event, with 159 overseas crews representing 17 nations and a total of 1900 athletes.
If you can’t make it to the Regatta in person, all five days can be watched live and on demand on Youtube at youtube.com/user/HenleyRoyalRegatta.
Click through the gallery above to see historical images of the Henley Royal Regatta.
