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<div dir="auto">Dear all,<br />
<br />
We’ve received this message from the Boat Race organisers. Please do heed their request, and pass it on to anyone who may be thinking of attending.<br />
<br />
Best wishes,<br />
Conor<br />
<br />
<br />
The Boat Race will be closed to spectators to enable the races to take place in a COVID-secure way. Gemini Boat Race 2021 asks fans<br />
to stay home and watch live on BBC. The race will be broadcast live on BBC One from 15:00-17:30 on Sunday 4th April.<br />
<br />
With many national restrictions still in place, the Boat Race will this year be a closed event on the Great Ouse at Ely in Cambridgeshire on Sunday 4th April. There will be no access to spectators, to enable one of the world’s oldest and most famous amateur competitions to return to the British sporting calendar in a COVID-secure way.<br />
<br />
The Oxford and Cambridge Men’s and Women’s crews, their coaches and The Boat Race Company, who organise the event, would like to thank all fans, and the local communities of Ely and Littleport, for their incredible support and ask them to please help make this a safe and secure event by staying home to watch it on the BBC.<br />
<br />
Following the cancellation of the 2020 race, and as the country continues to adhere to distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s unique race will have all the excitement of the usual race format, but without spectators.<br />
<br />
Working with local stakeholders and all relevant agencies, The Boat Race Company are confident of the delivery of a COVID-secure event for the athletes who have been training hard for this race, and for fans watching the event on the BBC.<br />
<br />
<span style="color:var(--textColor);background-color:var(--backgroundColor)">Safety is of paramount importance to enable the 2021 race to go ahead in this unique format. The Boat Race Company are putting a number of measures in place, to first and foremost, ensure the safety of the local community, athletes and staff working on the event, and to stop spectators from gathering, running the risk of COVID restrictions being breached, which could see the event being postponed or cancelled.</span></div>
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