Overview and Schedule

This Handbook applies to athletes who have qualified for either the Continental Knockout Heats, the Semi Finals or the Grand Finals.

The event takes place over 2 weekends. Each weekend will feature a Saturday of Continental Knockout Heats followed by a Sunday of Semi Finals and Grand Finals. The Continental Knockout Heats will be conducted across three continental time zones, ensuring that athletes from all over the world have an opportunity to participate. The Finals on Sunday will be broadcast live during European evening hours, promising an exciting and engaging viewing experience for Rowing fans everywhere.

All competitors must use a Concept2 static rowing ergometer with an updated PM3, PM4 or PM5 monitor. See details below.

The 2025 WRICH provisional race schedules are noted below.

**Please note all times are in Central European Time (CET)

Test day: Friday 7 February 2025: 12:00 – 14:00 CET. See information below.

Weekend 1: Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 February 2025
Events: 500m and Endurance Relay

Saturday, 15 Feb– Heats:

Asia & Oceania: 8:00 – 10:00 CET
Africa & Europe: 11:00 – 13:30 CET
Americas: 15:00 – 16:30 CET

Sunday, 16 Feb– Semifinals: 17:00 – 17:35 CET

Sunday, 16 Feb– Grand Finals: 17:40 – 19:30 CET

——–

Weekend 2: Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 February 2025

Events: 2000m and Sprint Relay

Saturday, 22 Feb– Heats:

Asia & Oceania: 7:00 – 8:30 CET
Africa & Europe: 11:00 – 13:45 CET
Americas: 16:00 – 17:30 CET

Sunday, 23 Feb– Semifinals: 16:00 – 19:00 CET

Sunday, 23 Feb– Grand Finals: 19:15 – 21:15 CET

The Final Competition Detailed Schedule will be published on the event webpage on worldrowing.com before Wednesday 12 February. You will also be contacted by email regarding your participation. Please ensure that you are available for your race in your respective time zone (countries per time zone detailed in the Competitor Guide annex).

Special note (Para and Relays events)

Due to the small number of entries in Para and Relays events, WR informs the participants that the progression system and schedule of the competition have been adjusted:

For Para, all events with only one participant will only compete in the Heats with no progression.
For Para events with more than one participant, heats will be considered as Preliminary races on Saturdays and all competitors will go to Finals on Sunday. No Semifinal round.
For Relays, all events with only one crew will be cancelled and entry fee will be refunded.

Test Day

An optional test day is scheduled on Friday 7 February between 12:00 – 14:00hrs CET. Athletes are encouraged to sign up for one of the test slots to ensure that they understand how to connect to the Homerace software, attempt a practice race, and are able to set up the live stream video in accordance with the instructions in the live stream section.

This test will propose 8 races of 500m, starting every 15 minutes from 12:00 to 14:00, and limited to 60 participants per race. First come, first served basis. Testing will take approximately 20 minutes.

Please register for your test slot HERE – before Wednesday 5 February at 16:00 CET.

Registered competitors will receive their participant secret code and streaming link for race and broadcast tests via email on the address declared in the Doodle form.

Please read and follow the guidelines detailed below. Test races and official races will follow the same procedure and requirements.

Information Required Before You Race

Finalists should log back into the World Rowing Entry portal to provide the required finalist information to World Rowing before 6 February at 23:59 CET

Please check the following:

Location information – Competitors are obliged to provide the location (address) of where they will race in their final. This will be used for potential in-competition doping control. It is the sole responsibility of the competitor to ensure that their race day location (address) is correct and accurate. This is mandatory for all finalists.
Contact information – Competitors are required to provide a race day phone number, including the country code. Competitors should monitor their phone and email on race-day in the event of contact from World Rowing. The device (smartphone) must NOT be used to provide Internet access/connection to the computer for racing. This is mandatory for all finalists.
Biographical information – Competitors are encouraged to provide biographical details in the World Rowing Entry Portal. These will be accessible by the World Rowing commentary and production teams, and could be used in the live stream, as well as other promotions for the event. This is optional for all finalists.
Photos & video – Competitors are encouraged to provide a headshot, or other photo or video of them to accompany their biographical information. These will be accessible by the World Rowing commentary and production teams, and could be used in the live stream, as well as other promotions for the event. This is optional for all finalists.
Emergency phone number – Please provide the phone number for someone who will be nearby to you during your race. Please include the country code.
Target Time – Please provide your target time.

Live Racing Software

The Finals will take place in real time using Time-Team’s Homerace software https://homerace.nl. For instructions on how to set up the Homerace software, please refer to the Homerace Manual.

For Continental Heats, your participant secret code will be available on your WR entry portal as per the below timelines:

From Wednesday 12 Feb 14:00 CET onwards

If you make the next round of competition, your participant secret code will be available as per below timelines:

For Semifinals – 1 hour after the last race (continental knockout heats) on Saturday 15 Feb and Saturday 22 Feb
For Grand Finals – 45 minutes after your race on Sunday 16 Feb and Sunday 23 Feb

Please make sure you connect to your entry portal to check and get your code prior to your race.

Do not share any email or link if it contains your participant secret code, critical to ensure your participation.

What you’ll need

Hardware & Materials

Concept2 static ergometer with PM3, PM4 or PM5 monitor
Please ensure your Concept2 Performance Monitor has the most up to date firmware. You can check this by downloading the Concept2 Utility software and following the instructions.
Laptop: PC or Mac
USB A-B cable (i.e Printer Cable)

Internet connection wired (preferable) or WiFi. It is recommended to keep a back-up internet option ready, such as a mobile phone hotspot in case you lose your internet connection. In that case, don’t use the same phone as the one provided in the Contact Information.
Smart Phone/ integrated Webcam (Laptop)/external WebCam/GoPro/etc. for livestream purposes. Please review the live stream section of this document for more information
For lightweights, please review what is needed to weigh-in before your race

Laptop Operating System (any of the following)

Mac OS X 10.12.1 or higher
Windows 8.1 or higher
Chrome OS

Software (any of the following)

Google Chrome version 89 or higher
Microsoft Edge version 89 or higher

Internet Connection

Competitors (individuals) must compete on an internet network with a maximum latency of 500ms. Teams are encouraged to compete on an internet network with a maximum latency of 250ms. Competitors who have not met this internet speed requirement by 5 minutes before their race start will be removed from the live race. You can check your connection by following the steps below

Connect your ergometer to a laptop with the USB A/B cable
Go to https://homerace.nl
Click on “connect your ergometer” button and connect to the system
Do a connection test – this will check if your internet latency is good enough to join a race.

This requirement is to make a best effort so that all competitors can reasonably see one another throughout the race. However, internet speeds can vary throughout a race, and competitors can drop out and back into a race. With this in mind, competitors are advised to race to their maximum effort and not rely on the visual images which might be misleading.

Video verification

To add another level of integrity and robustness to the results of the virtual WRICH, all competitors are required to record a video of their race to be referred to in case internet connections are lost, and to cross check results. Please arrange for a 3^rd party, or static camera to video each of your races. This includes the Continental Knockout Heats, Semi Finals and Grand Final races.

Please upload your video on the entry portal as soon as possible after completing your race. The World Rowing Communications and Media team will also access these videos to develop stories for media release. Upload it here: World Rowing Entry portal.

In addition, Semifinals and Grand Finals will be live streamed. This will act as the Competitor Verification element. If a competitor loses their video connection mid-race, they may be contacted by World Rowing after the event to provide proof of their race. World Rowing reserves the right to adjust results if a score is not able to be verified on video.

Video Standards

Videos must be a single take and must not be edited in any way, and
Videos must include all of the following:
a clear view of the competitor and Concept2 machine throughout the duration of the race, well connected to the computer.
a close-up of the monitor after the finish (clearly demonstrating completion of the row with accompanying score).
proof of date and time (this could be including the home screen of a phone or computer screen showing the date and time.
You are able to use a phone, laptop, or camera of any description to record the video.

Live stream

Sunday Finals on the 16 and 23 February will be live streamed with an expert commentary panel. Go to World Rowing webpage and on World Rowing’s YouTube Channel.

Competitors will receive a specific webcam link. Simply click on the link on the device you will use for this purpose, allow webcam usage, and you will be streaming.

Please, as much as possible, all finalists are asked not to use the race computer and the same internet connection for the Live streaming.

If you have no other possibility than using the integrated laptop camera in the same laptop from which you are running the Homerace system, please ensure that the browser page running the Homerace system is ALWAYS visible as the front page on your screen.

Finalists’ live stream video will be used for both video verification and the live stream. As such, it is critical that all Finalists stream their Final race(s) appropriately. Please set up your camera according to the instructions below. This doesn’t exempt you from taking the verification video and providing it to World Rowing upon request.

We highly recommend that you use a fully charged camera/device for live streaming and keep your camera on-charge during use. To set up your camera, please follow the guidelines below.

Post-race interviews

The 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2 is a global event that celebrates the Rowing community. Highlighting stories and reactions from throughout the Indoor Rowing world, World Rowing may introduce a new segment of feel-good interviews with Competitors during the global live broadcast.

After a Semifinal or Final race, Competitors may be asked to film or participate in a live video interview with one of WR’s Commentators or Presentors, which could be included in the broadcast. Competitors are kindly encouraged to share their phone numbers for the purpose of arranging interviews. Please ensure this phone number is in your WR Entry portal profile.

Race Mode

Prior to and during the race, your performance monitor will be in race mode. This means that you do not need to ‘set’ your monitor for your race – it will be set for you once you have successfully connected to the Homerace system. On the top of your screen, your regular data will be shown. On the bottom part of your screen, you will see your information on the race itself, the starting procedure, or your competition depending at what stage you are of a race. The order in which you see it is: Warm-up, Start, Race.

Start procedure

WATCH YOUR MONITOR, it will display one by one the following commands:

SIT READY
ATTENTION
ROW

Please make sure you do NOT pull on the handle before the command ROW appears on the screen. You take the risk to be the cause of a false start and may receive the related sanctions.

If a false start occurs, the monitor will display “False Start” and will list the lanes responsible. Stop rowing and put the handle back in the handle hook.

Your computer screen will show your race lobby and all participants, as well as the live tracker for you to see the whole race and all its competitors.

Competition Timelines

Emergency contact

In case of any last-minute issue, competitors are asked to send an email as quickly as possible to indoor@worldrowing.com with:

Name
Category and race time
Brief description of the issue
Phone number

The competition management team will make its best efforts to call back and propose any possible solution to solve the issue and ensure the participation.

Relay rules of racing

For all relay races, each athlete must race at least one time, any distance.

Machine sharing

It is possible for competitors racing in different events to share rowing machines, if you are competing from the same location. If this is the case, the competitor racing first will need to wait for their race to fully finish before selecting the yellow ‘disconnect’ button i.e. all ‘boats’ in their race have finished and the connected monitor has been automatically reset by the race system back to the main menu. Only at this point may the new participant secret code be entered and the second competitor can prepare to race.

Recommendation: use the same machine only if you have a sufficient time between race starts, so you have time to race, reset, set again for the next race.

30min gap between 2000m race starts
20min gap between 500m race starts

In case of any delay in the schedule, you might not be able to be ready for the next race. In case of emergency, please contact World Rowing as soon as possible at indoor@worldrowing.com, with EMERGENCY MACHINE SHARING in the email subject line and your details, name/last name and phone number in the email.

NO EXCEPTIONS OR DELAYS will be made to accommodate shared machines.

Weigh in

Competitors entered in lightweight races, are required to weigh-in between two hours and one hour before the start of their race, **each day of competition**.

Note that the weigh-in procedure will be the same on Saturdays and on Sundays.

A rower competing in a lightweight men’s event may not weigh more than 75.0 kgs.
A rower competing in a lightweight women’s event may not weigh more than 61.5 kgs.

Any competitor who is not able to meet the above requirements appropriately, or who fails to make weight, will be excluded. It will not be possible to switch to the open weight category. Weigh-in submissions will be verified as quickly as possible, but it is possible that not all results will be verified prior to the start of each race. As such, final race results will not be confirmed until all weigh-in submissions for a particular race have been verified and approved.

LIGHTWEIGHT WEIGH-IN PROCESS

There are two different processes for weighing in to ensure the integrity of the Grand Final result. Weighing in for Continental Knockout Heats will be done by loading up a Video. For the Semifinals and Finals, weigh-ins will be done in front of a Race Official before you race, in a dedicated Zoom Room (separate rooms for Men and Women).

Video evidence of the competitor’s weigh-in must be uploaded to the World Rowing Entry Portal at least one hour prior to the start of their race. Video evidence needs to show in one video:

A labelled test weight in kilograms or equivalent (such as a dumbbell or weighted plate) being placed on the digital scale to be used, with a clear reading of the weight indicated on both the test weight and the digital scale reading visible. The weight cannot be a modifiable weight (i.e. a sandbag, adjustable dumbbell, etc.)
The test weight subsequently removed from the digital scale, and the competitor’s full body (including their face) on a digital scale in their racing clothes.
The scale reading visible in kilograms, showing the weight to 0.1 kilograms.

The following webpage visible in the video (on a phone, computer, tablet): https://worldrowing.entries.regatta-systems.com/clock
Note – this webpage will act as the timestamp in your weigh-in video. The unique code provided each minute on the webpage will ensure that competitors are honoring the weigh-in window.

NOTE ON WORLD RECORDS: Competitors who believe that they may break a world record during either the qualification or final race phase of the WRICH should contact Concept2 in advance of competing to indicate this possibility. In addition to following all of the score verification protocols (as outlined on Concept2’s website), lightweights must be weighed-in no earlier than two hours before their race, under independent supervision, on approved scales. Using personal scales with a family member present will not comply with this requirement. Weigh-in should satisfy the same level of scrutiny as at a venue race. Competitors should contact Concept2 in advance of competition in order to ensure that their planned weigh-in strategy is approved and would be accepted by Concept2. Contact virtualracing@concept2.com for more details on this.

Rules Reminder

Finalists are reminded that they must adhere to all relevant World Rowing Rules while participating in this event. This includes, but is not limited to Appendix R20: Indoor Rowing Competition Regulations. Competitors are reminded to specifically review these rules as it relates to their racing uniform, age and eligibility, weigh-ins (for lightweights), protests, and false starts.

Competitors are reminded that if they are the cause of two false starts, they will be excluded from the event.

Additional Equipment Use

As per the World Rowing Rules of Racing, it has been determined by the President of the Jury of the WRICH that equipment which is not permanently affixed or attached to the rowing machine (e.g. lap straps, grip aids, seat pads) may be used in competition.

Objections, Protests, and Best Effort

Objections from virtual competitors must be emailed to indoor@worldrowing.com within 10 minutes after the conclusion of their race. If a competitor wishes to submit an objection because they have been excluded at the start of their race, they must email indoor@worldrowing.com within 10 minutes of the start of the race. The subject line should clearly begin with the word “OBJECTION”. For more information on objections, please refer to Appendix R20, 29) Objections.

Should a competitor wish to submit a protest, this must be submitted via email to indoor@worldrowing.com within 30 minutes. The subject line should clearly begin with the word “PROTEST.” Along with the email a proof of payment (screenshot) of protest fees of EUR 100 via the link: https://buy.stripe.com/5kA6qFdLi9qKb0A000 should be provided. The Board of the Jury shall then decide if the protest was justified, in accordance with the Rules.

As internet connections may impede a competitor’s ability to see their rank accurately throughout a race, competitors are reminded to perform to their maximum ability in each race, regardless of what is visible on their PM. Objections or Protests will not be accepted on the basis of an inability or impediment to view another competitor’s data on their PM or in the HomeRace system.

Medical

Participation in the WRICH is entirely at the competitor’s own risk.
As the competition is a virtual event it is essential that competitors avoid competing alone. It is your responsibility to have another person available to render assistance if necessary.
All competitors accept on entry that they will be competing in a very strenuous activity, and therefore are in good health and have been cleared by a medical doctor to participate in physical activity.
It is strongly recommended that competitors participating in the WRICH undergo the World Rowing Pre-competition Health Screening.

Anti-Doping

Doping is fundamentally contrary to the spirit of sport, the principle of fair play, medical ethics and can be harmful for the health of the rowers. Doping is strictly prohibited in the WRICH, and any qualification events or attempts.

For information about prohibited substances and methods, please consult WADA’s Prohibited List.

Please note that as a condition of participation in the WRICH, competitors may be subject to anti-doping testing. If World Rowing chooses to collect a sample from a competitor who is not an International Level competitor and that competitor is using a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method for therapeutic reasons, World Rowing will permit the competitor to apply for a Retroactive TUE. Please note that participation in this event on its own does not qualify a competitor as International Level for TUE purposes. For additional information, please refer to World Rowing’s anti-doping information page on the website Anti-Doping information page which includes information about Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE). Please also refer to the International Testing Agency’s (ITA) information page https://ita.sport/athlete-hub/ If you have questions about applying for a TUE please contact tue@ita.sport. For additional questions related to Anti-Doping, please contact wr@ita.sport

Terms & Conditions

Please note that you have already accepted the Competitor Commitment, Liability & Waiver for this event. To see it again, please refer to it HERE.

Competitor Integrity

All information provided to World Rowing for the purposes of this competition, either in registration submissions, video submissions, scores, timestamps, or any other information provided must be the complete truth. A lack of integrity, or any actions that indicate an intent to cheat or circumvent the rules or intent of the rules of World Rowing may result in disqualification and possible bans on future competition opportunities.

Medals & Diplomas

Medals: Following the completion of the Grand Finals, medals will be awarded to the highest placed 3 finishers in every age category, plus fastest 3 in the Grand Finals.

Grand Final Medallists = Placings 1 – 3 in the Grand Final
Age Group Medallists = Highest 3 Placings in rounds from Grand Final to Continental Heats and then times.

Example for Age Group medals and rankings:

No one of my age group makes the Grand Final but two athletes reached the Semi-final so they will be Gold and Silver (ranked by time). The Bronze medallist will then be my age group best time of the Continental Knockout Heats (even if he performed a better time than Gold and Silver in their Semi-final).

Rankings = Results from the different rounds will be available separately. There will be a rankings filter on the event website where you can view the combined results by different parameters.

Following the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2 – World Rowing will proactively send an email to the Medal Winners inviting them to request their medals and provide their shipping address and phone number through a digital form. The shipment needs to be addressed to the medallist or to one of the Relay team members (same name/last name as per the competition). A check and medal attribution process will then be done regarding the position in the final results. The medal request form will remain open until 10 days after the conclusion of the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2.

To ensure accurate delivery, please double-check that your name, address, and phone number are entered correctly. If you believe you should have received an email but haven’t, feel free to reach out to indoor@worldrowing.com. Please note that medals will only be sent upon completing of the request form, and we’re unable to arrange additional shipments if a parcel is not received.

Who wins a medal: As per World Rowing Rules, if there are two entries in any event (or age category), the first place finisher only will receive a Gold medal. If there are 3 entries, only Gold and Silver medals will be awarded. In the case where there is only one entry in an event, and the event is run (See Special cases above), the participant will not receive any medal but a Diploma.

Diplomas: Digital Diplomas will be sent to all participants following the event. Certificates will be sent to the email address identified in your WR Profile.

Official Merchandise

Wherever you’re competing as a finalist at the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase Official Event Merchandise. Designed exclusively for World Rowing, these limited-edition packages are only available through World Rowing’s Official Merchandising Partner: New Wave at newwave.de. Merchandise will be open for purchase until 10 days after the final day of the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2.

Questions?

For any questions about the World Rowing Indoor Championships, please email indoor@worldrowing.com

2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships, presented by Concept2

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