Allegations of rape at rowing club ‘deeply concerning’ say Sport England and UK Sport

Allegations of rape and harassment at one of Britain’s most prestigious rowing clubs have been described as “deeply concerning” by Sport England and UK Sport.

Both funding bodies have raised their concerns with British Rowing after the Telegraph reported there had been three separate alleged rape incidents involving male rowers within the past five years at the Leander Club, which supplied more than half of Team GB’s rowers at the Paris Olympics.

According to the Telegraph, the women rowers at the club had taken to wearing white ribbons and pink vests in 2024 to protest against what was described as “the worst-kept secret in British rowing”, and that several male members also joined them in protest.

In a statement, Sport England, the funding body of grassroots sport in England, said it had raised the matter with British Rowing and urged the victims to go to the police.

“These are deeply concerning allegations regarding both behaviours and cultures, and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted,” it said. “It is vital that sports clubs are safe and welcoming, and that all issues are investigated swiftly and properly.

“We encourage any individual who has experienced such behaviour to report directly to the police. Sport England has raised this matter with British Rowing, and we will continue to monitor the situation.”

A similar message was conveyed by UK Sport, which funds elite sport across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. “Our thoughts are with those affected by the allegations which have recently been reported, and we take matters of integrity and safeguarding extremely seriously,” it said.

“We encourage any member of staff or athlete on Olympic and Paralympic performance programmes to report allegations of unacceptable behaviour to Sport Integrity, the confidential reporting line. In light of these deeply concerning allegations, we are in contact with British Rowing.”

In a statement to ITV News, which first broke the story, the Leander Club said it took seriously all issues relating to the safeguarding of its athletes. “We have strict procedures in place to carefully examine any formal complaints and regularly review our club disciplinary processes to ensure they are fit for purpose, treating our athletes fairly and with respect,” it added.

A British Rowing spokesperson said it was not able to comment on individual safeguarding concerns and processes conducted at clubs owing to their confidential nature. “As such there is a very limited amount that we can say when we are approached in connection with issues that fall into this category,” it added.

“What we are able to say categorically is that the safety of people taking part in our sport is the very first item of importance on our agenda. We investigate anything reported to us fully and comprehensively, as you would expect and as it is our remit to do. This would have been the case if sufficient information had been raised with us to conduct an investigation in respect of the raised allegations.”

Source: The Guardian