Investigation exposes bullying and ‘personalised profanity’ at Oxford Brookes Uni rowing club

An investigation has exposed bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination at Oxford Brookes Uni’s rowing club.

The report, which has been seen by the BBC, found “multiple and varied instances” of sexual harassment and sex discrimination had occurred at the Oxford Brookes University Boat Club. Members used “racial slurs” on three occasions.

Members broke rules from British Rowing’s Code of Conduct, including the instruction about coaches “avoiding sexual intimacy with anyone they coach/instruct or in the period immediately following the end of a coaching relationship”. The club also broke British Rowing’s Weighing Guidance.

41 current and past members of the boat club were interviewed as part of the investigation. One student said she’d seen female students being sexually harassed. She claimed weight-shaming of athletes was “prolific”. This student said the men’s rowing squad were asked to take their tops off and jump up and down. The students were apparently told “if any of their body parts jiggled, they needed to lose it”.

The Oxford Brookes University Boat Club teams in 2023
(Image via Brookes Rowing / YouTube)

The investigation recommended that parts of the club’s finances should be audited. The report also advised the rowing club to punish some members, select a welfare officer and conduct Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training.

An Oxford Brookes University spokesperson said: “When concerns were initially raised about coaching at the Oxford Brookes University Boat Club, we took swift action by launching the independent investigation that led to the production of this report.

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“Respect, inclusion and the dignity of everyone who studies and works here are central to our culture. We have worked with British Rowing to address the issues raised in the report, with leadership and coaching changes and new, progressive structures now in place at the club.”

Oxford Brookes Uni commissioned this investigation into the rowing club last year after a “personal info/toughness sheet” leaked on WhatsApp.

The “sheet” ranked more than 50 students from the men’s rowing squad by “toughness”. Some of the categories had phallic names. The sheet also included feedback about each student. Many of the comments were considered insulting by Brookes students. One athlete was told to “get a haircut, toughen up, get serious”. Another comment reads: “Watching you row is like watching paint dry.”

The leaked ‘toughness sheet’. All students’ name have been blurred.

Many notes criticised students for their appearance and weight. Athletes were told to “put the pies down” and “not be a plodder”.  One comment reads: “Find your fight, you were bloody tough, loose weight. Specific muscles for rowing only. Fitness!” Several rows of the table say “physiology”.

British Rowing previously stated: “Creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for everyone in the rowing community is our priority. We continue to work collaboratively with Oxford Brookes University as it implements the recommendations identified through its independent investigation into coaching practices at the club.”

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Featured image of a previous Oxford Brookes rowing team via Brookes Rowing / YouTube.