New ‘Beach Sprints’ event to be introduced to iconic Henley Regattas

The ambitious feat, coming in Summer 2026, involves the construction of a 50m-long beach off Temple Island on the River Thames

In an unprecedented move, Henley Royal Regatta and Henley Women’s Regatta have decided at the last minute to add a brand new event to their programmes for 2026 – ‘Beach Sprints’.

New to the Olympic programme for Los Angeles 2028, Beach Sprint rowing is an adrenaline-fuelled racing format, where crews battle the waves over a 250m slalom course at sea. Rowers take a handbrake turn around a final buoy, before rowing straight back to shore to sprint up the beach to a buzzer. Rounds are knockout – first to hit the buzzer wins.

Great Britain is already seeing international success in Beach Sprint events, most recently bringing home one gold, silver and bronze medal apiece from last year’s World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals. The introduction of Beach Sprints to Henley Royal Regatta and Henley Women’s Regatta give potential Olympians another chance to test their metal against crews from all over the world before the first Olympic showdown in 2028.

The inaugural event, named The Beach Challenge Trophy for both regattas, will be raced by Coastal Mixed Doubles (CMix2x) in the senior age group category. The venture hasn’t come without challenges – the first one being the lack of beach along the Henley course.

“We’ve worked closely with British Rowing and key stakeholders including Henley Women’s Regatta, to provide our athletes with the best possible racing conditions and to ensure Temple Island Beach meets international racing standards.” said Richard Phelps, Chair of the Committee at Henley Royal Regatta.

In order to sustainably gather enough sand to fill the 50m beach, Henley Royal Regatta’s team of Stewards have been tasked with collecting 1 tonne of sand each month up until the event.

Waves posed another challenge to the new event, but the regattas plan on trialing alternating Beach Sprint races with flat water events that don’t benefit from a coxswain’s steering expertise. No two beach sprint race conditions are the same, and it’s thought that boats that bump into Henley’s iconic wooden booms will generate enough wave activity to recreate a competitive coastal environment.

Tom Solesbury, CEO of British Rowing, is incredibly enthusiastic about the new development. “With the LA 2028 Olympic Games just around the corner, we’re on the lookout for future Olympic Beach Sprint athletes, and for more opportunities for them to race. Being able to compete at the World’s most prestigious regattas in brand new conditions is the perfect opportunity.”

Richard Phelps commented “Innovation has always played a key role in Henley Royal Regatta’s history, and while creating our very own beach is undoubtedly one of our more ambitious undertakings, we’re committed to staying at the forefront of the sport and are confident that it will add an exciting new dimension to our event.”

Tom Pattichis, Olympic Head Coach for Beach Sprints, said: “It’s a new idea. We’ll never say no to new racing opportunities in the lead up to LA. Let’s see what happens.”

Naomi Ashcroft, Chairman of Henley Women’s Regatta, said: “We are pleased to be giving HWR competitors a taste of the Olympics and Paralympics with them racing the LA28 regatta distance, so this is an exciting step on to further support our Olympic development pathway. We’re always supportive of initiatives that create new opportunities for athletes, and we’re looking forward to seeing how Beach Sprints translate to the Henley course.”