Issue 121 - July 1999

The five ringed circus

Henley is the only place which has hosted the Olympic regatta twice. On both occasions it took place shortly after Henley Royal, with slight alterations of the course.

The history of the Olympics is closely intertwined with that of Henley Royal Regatta. Baron de Coubertin, father of the modern Olympic movement and himself a keen sculler, was a guest at the 1891 regatta and was so impressed by its organisation that he based his fledgling Olympic Committee on the Stewards. Included as a founding sport of the Olympics, the rowing was cancelled in 1896 due to gales, so the first Olympic rowing took place in 1900 in Paris. This was reputedly ill-organised, and in 1904 in St. Louis there were barely any European crews rowing.

Henley Royal Regatta was the only major annual regatta at the time, so it was logical that the 1908 event would be quite at home there. Nevertheless, the ARA proposed Putney, being in London, the nominated Olympic city. After an outcry by the rowing fraternity (though not by the Stewards who did not wish to interfere). Henley was adopted, and the Olympic regatta was controversially closed to foreign crews that year, a decision taken in 1907.

Each participating nation was allowed two crews in each event. Only one foreign crew reached a final, and the medals went to Henley medallists for the most part. Leander's 'old men's' eight saved British blushes in the blue-riband event against the Belgians. Leander contained Guy Nickalls, aged 42, and C.D. Burnell aged 36, in a race rowed at record pace and won by two lengths. Whereas the Belgians, winners of the Grand in 1906 and 1907, agreed that competing at HRR may give them an unfair advantage of having rowed on the Olympic course, Leander trained intensively for weeks on it.

Henley and the Burnell family were once again ready when the Olympics returned in 1948. FISA entrusted the organisation of the Olympic regatta to the Henley committee of management. Bound to create a course of 2000 metres with at least three to a heat, the Stewards convinced the Olympic organisers that the available 1880 metres against the stream would suffice. By now the Olympic movement had grown and Henley had to accommodate 86 crews from 27 countries. Britain could no longer be said to be top nation. Interest was increased because Olympic selection was at stake for many of the participants at the Royal regatta.

Leander, representing Great Britain, could not defeat the Americans in the eights, but were worthy silver medallists. Grand winners Thames RC selected a four who unluckily hit a buoy in front of the enclosure in their semi-final. Victory was left to the smaller British boats. Experience told again for Great Britain when the pre-war winners of the Goblets in 1938, Ran Laurie and Jack Wilson, repeated the feat 10 years later and went one better, winning Olympic gold within a further month. Laurie became a Steward and died last year. His son, the actor and comedian Hugh Laurie, also rowed for Cambridge in the Boat Race. Another family tradition was maintained when Richard Burnell, also a Steward, won gold, in front of the home crowd with Bert Bushnell in the double sculls, as his father had in the 1908 eight all those years ago.

Henley's management committee currently includes the greatest rower and perhaps greatest Olympian of all time in Steve Redgrave. The Olympic link is maintained this year when the prizes will be presented by HRH Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, who is a member of the International Olympic Committee. The regatta will continue to welcome Olympic champions and hopefuls from all over the world.

Olympics 1896-2000: Do you have mementos, diaries, correspondence, kit or memorabilia which you will lend to the River and Rowing Museum for next year's Olympic exhibition? Do you have Olympic anecdotes, memories or experiences which deserve a wider audience?
Contact James Felt at the River and Rowing Museum, Mill Meadows, Henley-on-Thames RG9 1BF (M 0208 948 6976. E james.felt@ virgin.net)

© Copyright REGATTA Magazine, 1999.