Rowing Ireland has since issued a statement regarding their policy and subsequent steps, highlighting further discrepancies and the ill-suited selection of tests used to choose athletes for the upcoming Beach Sprint (BS) competitions.
The statement can be found here: https://www.rowingireland.ie/high-performance-trialling-beach-sprint-processes/
With regards to what has been written in their statement:
"Phase 1 – Collection of baseline data from coastal athletes who are new to our High Performance database. This includes a 2000m ergometer score and a 2000m water trial - both internationally recognised metrics for evaluating rowers."
I understand those tests and I have completed these tests several times as part of the HP system. These tests are perfectly suited to the river type of rowing and 2km racing in which we all participate. However, these tests do not measure the ability to perform in beach sprints, which consist of a run, a slalom, and are classified as a sprint event.
Additionally, there is absolutely no mention of the format of Phase 2 of the assessment for athletes under the beach sprints policy developed by Rowing Ireland, available here: https://www.rowingireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beach-Sprint-selection-policy-2025-Worlds-Europeans-and-Coupe.pdf
In their statement, it is noted:
"Phase 2 – Trialling on a beach using the same equipment, boats, and measurements used at international competitions. The key skill sets of running, boat entry/exit, and navigation are assessed in an open and fair process. All trial results are made available to all club coaches immediately after each event, as occurred following the recent 2000m water trial at the NRC."
When was this decided, and by whom? This has not been communicated to anyone in the beach sprints community.
Lastly, this still does not change the fact that a 2km straight-line race in a coastal boat is ill-suited to test an athlete’s beach sprint ability. This is further complicated by changeable weather conditions that we experienced throughout the day, making comparison across categories difficult, as well as the differences between boats and their weights. The policy clearly states that invitations to Phase 2 will be issued based on results from Phase 1. Imagine if I was a 100m hurdler but was tested over 400m to determine if I was fast enough for my event-these are two entirely different disciplines requiring completely different skill sets and so is 2km river racing and beach sprints!