As we have noticed that there are a lot of questions about the newly introduced rules regarding qualification, we answer the most frequently asked questions down below. For further questions, you can reach us at wedstrijdleiding@roeivierkamp.nl.
Reasons behind the new rules
Ever since the Heineken Regatta has gained popularity, the entries of crews have increased greatly. In order to guarantee everyone’s safety and make sure that everyone can enjoy participating in the regatta, it has been decided in 2019 to implement new qualification rules. Initially these rules only concerned limiting the number of participating crews on the Sundays, since day caused the most problems. However, also during the races on Saturday we have been experiencing problems for years now due to the number of boats on the water. When creating the new rules, we prioritized creating a lasting situation in which the participating crews can safely enjoy the regatta. Solely applying the rules to the crews participating on Sunday was not sufficient to achieve this anymore. Accordingly, is has been decided to implement the qualification rules to all crews participating on both the Saturday and Sunday.
Use of 2022 results
The newly implemented rules state that the crews which finished in the top 50% of their division in the previous edition will be automatically qualified for the coming edition. If you want to participate in the 51st edition of the Heineken Regatta in March 2023, this means that you should look at your results of the 50th edition of the Heineken Regatta in 2022. You can find the results of 2022 here: 2022 (pdf).
75% – rule
A crew will be eligible for direct qualification only when at least 75% of the rowers is a part of the same rowing association. When a crew finished in the top 50% of their division in 2022, but does not meet the above-mentioned requirement, this crew will not be directly qualified for the 51st edition of the Heineken Regatta in March 2023. An exception to this rule can be made when 75% of the rowers did participate and finish in the top 50% of the same division in the previous edition, even though they were not a part of the same boat.
When an association has received a direct qualification place with a crew that consisted entirely of people from the same rowing association, this boat may still be filled with other rowers of which at least 75% are a part of the same association.
Changing divisions for a guaranteed entry
A qualification place may also be used to participate in another division. Nevertheless, this is only allowed when the races of both divisions take place in the same block on the same day and when the divisions are in the same gender and boat category. In order to use a direct qualification place for another field, permission of the race management is needed. If you want to make use of your direct qualification to participate in another division, make sure to clearly mention it in the comments of your entry. The race management will review all the shifts in qualification places and contact you in case of an unjustified request. Note that you do not need to reach out to the race management beforehand. All requests will be looked at on the basis of your entry.
Timeline registration and draw
As the newly introduced qualification procedure requires us to conduct a draw, and because we want to give our international competitors the chance to book their tickets and accommodation well in advance, the timeline for international entries has been moved forward considerably. For international crews, the pre-entries will open on Monday November 14th 2022 and will close on Friday December 16th 2022. The draw will be held in the following weekend and crews will be notified about the outcome as quickly as possible.
For Dutch entries, see “de inschrijfpagina”.