When is a crew excluded for interference, and when should a race be re-rowed?

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Accepted Answer

Lanes: each crew has its own lane and must stay completely inside it, oars or sculls included. A crew may leave its lane at its own risk, but it then loses the umpire's protection and may be penalised if it impedes an opponent or gains an advantage. What counts as interference (E.8.7): a crew's oars, sculls or boat encroach into an opponent's lane and disadvantage them, whether by contact, wash, distraction or any other way. The umpire alone decides whether a crew is in its lane and whether it caused interference. Exclusion If a crew's interference affected another crew's finishing position, the umpire excludes it. After a collision of boats, oars or sculls, the umpire may exclude the crew that caused it even without a prior warning. Otherwise exclusion should, in principle, follow a warning. If the interference happened before the umpire could warn, a lesser penalty may be given. In the first 100 m, the umpire may stop the race after a clash and yellow-card the offending crew. Restoring the race comes first. If a crew loses its chance of winning, the umpire must restore it, not just penalise the offender. The umpire can: stop the race, penalise the offender and order a re-row, now or later (setting the new time with the President of the Jury), or let the race continue and rule afterwards. The re-row can be limited to the crews the umpire names. A re-row is always from the original start line, never from a point down the course. If the impediment didn't affect the result, or its effect wasn't significant, the umpire may decline a re-row.