World and British Rowing Indoor Championships 2026

The World and British Rowing Indoor Championships take over NEC Campus Halls 17 & 18 on 5 and 6 December, bringing together the GB Rowing Team's Olympic and Paralympic squads alongside entries from over 39 nationalities. It's a big weekend for indoor rowing, and the whole thing runs on Concept2 machines following World Rowing Rules of Racing. This year's edition also aligns with the updated Indoor Adaptive Rowing categories introduced in September.

The two days are split into distinct formats. Saturday is built around the classic 2,000m and 500m, with categories for Masters, Under 23, 19, and 17, school year groups, Adaptive, and Open age. Sunday shifts to the team and challenge events: 4,000m relays, 8-minute Junior relays, the EXR Challenge, 'The Chase', and the Super Sprint Sunday challenges. The EXR Invitational is a 5,000m race for the fastest 40 men and 40 women, decided by online qualifiers, with a prize pot totalling £7,000. 'The Chase' is a six-minute sprint against a pace boat that speeds up every 20 seconds.

Past international competitors have included World Record holders Loïc Schalbetter from Switzerland and Vár Guriardóttir Hansen from the Faroe Islands, as well as Norway's Ole Karlesen. The action runs alongside the British Indoor Fitness Games, and half the net proceeds of the Christmas Corporate Charity Challenge go to British Rowing's charity, Love Rowing. Indoor rowing uses about 85% of the body's muscles and is growing as a fitness competition, following the lead of the GB Rowing Team's Olympic and Paralympic squads.

Racing starts at 8:30 daily, so it's an early one if you're watching from the start. Tickets range from £10 to £19.50. If you're thinking of competing, entries open and close on Tuesday 24 November at 13:00 UTC.