New stewards for the Henley regatta

Great Britain’s most prestigious rowing race, the Henley Royal Regatta has elected Katherine Grainger to the esteemed ranks of steward. Grainger, 33, is the most successful British woman rower and recently won her third Olympic medal when she raced in the women’s quad at the Beijing Olympics.

Many of the stewards are former successful rowers and Grainger joins the ranks of Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent as the only stewards elected while they were still racing at the international level. Grainger recently announced her intentions of committing to continue racing through until the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Also elected to be a steward is John Hedger. Hedger, 43, has been a member of FISA’s events commission since 2004 playing an active role in the running of Rowing World Cups, the World Rowing Championships as well as the Olympic Games. Hedger began rowing at high school and still participates as a masters rower.

For over 100 years the stewards have helped organise the Henley Royal Regatta. They are self-electing and total 55. There is a management committee that primarily organises the regatta leaving the main concern of the stewards to best serve the interests of the competitors.

The Henley Royal Regatta is fully immersed in traditions that date back to its 1839 beginnings. The regatta, taking place at the beginning of July every year, is raced on the Thames River just out of London with a crowd of often over 100,000 people lining the banks of the river.

Beginning as very much a British regatta, the event now attracts rowers from sometimes as many as 15 countries. The regatta retains its own rules which include a strict dress code – blazers for the gentlemen and skirts below the knees for the ladies – for those entering the stewards’ enclosure.

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