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Doggett's Coat and Badge Wager 2020 - Delayed for only the second time in history!

1 May 2020Umpire and race boats

For only the second time in more than 300 years Doggett’s Coat and Badge, the world’s oldest sculling race, has had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Originally scheduled for 3 September 2020, current restrictions advised by British Rowing mean that competitors would not have the chance to train on the Thames, while the sculling boats in which they had planned to compete will not arrive from Wintech Racing, the boat manufacturers in China, until August.

The proposed date for the 2020 Wager is now 16 March 2021, with a second race to be held the same year, on 8 September for the 2021 race. Apprentices will be invited to enter the appropriate race or may qualify to compete in both.

In the meantime, if you want to find out more about the Wager, visit the race pages, and to re-live some of the past triumphs and disappointments, visit Thames Festival Trust to watch a documentary and to hear oral histories from previous competitors.