News

Posted: 11 February 2026

Written by Gary Bain, Aberdeen BC

Scottish rowers and coaches have, over the last few years, become increasingly visible in Great Britain teams at all age levels, from J16 up to the full senior team, and across both the classic flatwater and coastal disciplines. While the selection process for this year's GB rowing teams is still in the early stages, Scottish umpires who hold an International licence have already come to the end of their own selection process. 

Image: Provided by Gary Bain. Gary and Jen at the 2025 World Rowing Awards in Lausanne.

World Rowing recently announced their Umpire juries, for the 2026 season, with Great Britain having strong representation across both the various European Championship events and the World Cup series of regattas. 

However, it is in the juries for the six different World Championships, where we find a historic number of Scottish umpires selected. 

Jen Thomson will be officiating at the 2026 World Rowing Virtual Indoor Championships, which take place this month. The Indoor Championships have been run previously as a virtual event, as an in-person event and also as a hybrid version of the two. This year it will be run over two consecutive weekends with WR umpires having a busy time verify the results of all the competitors taking part in this global virtual edition of the championships. 

Claire McIntosh has been selected to umpire at the 2026 World Rowing U23 Championships taking place in Duisburg, Germany at the end of July.

Gary Bain has managed to get a 2 for 1 deal as he makes the long trip to Qingdao, China for both the2026  World Rowing Coastal championships and the 2026 World Rowing Beach Sprint Championships.

A special mention should also go to Richard Dennis, who will be umpiring at the biggest event of them all, the  2026 World Rowing Championships, in Amsterdam. Although based in the Thames Valley, Richard has officiated at numerous Scottish events, especially during the seven year period he lived in Scotland and was on the SR umpire list.

To have this number of Scottish umpires officiating on the global stage is quite remarkable and a healthy reflection on the overall standard of umpiring in Scotland.

Image: Provided by Gary Bain. Gary taking a selfie out the start tower in Holme Pierrepont.

We caught up separately with Gary for a Q&A.

1. Tell us a bit about how you first got into umpiring?

It was suggested to me by Peter Morrison after I had to give up competitive rowing, aged 21, due to injury. Peter, who was umpiring extensively at home and abroad, advised that FISA (World Rowing) were keen to recruit younger umpires and that the sooner I became an umpire, the more opportunities I would have to officiate internationally. 

2. At what point did you decide to become an international umpire and what did that process look like?

Before I even became an umpire!! Peter had so many amazing stories of the events and venues he had visited around the globe that I knew that was my goal. After qualifying as an umpire in Scotland in 1997, I focused on first getting my Multi-Lane Umpire which then allowed me to umpire at courses in England and also allowed me to attend international regattas where I could shadow the umpires. That was critical in helping me pass my FISA exams as studying the rule book is one thing but knowing how to apply the rules in real life scenarios was important. Thanks to Peter's mentoring I passed my international umpire exam in 2007.

3. What have been some of the best experiences of your umpiring career to date?

So many, but the 2012 Olympics in London is an obvious highlight. I was the aligner for every race, and I still get goosebumps thinking about hearing the 'Dorney Roar' as the crews neared the finish line. Even from the opposite end of the course, we could tell how well the GBR crews were doing by the volume of the crowd. No surprise that the biggest roar came when Katherine Grainger won gold and I was lucky to be able to congratulate her soon after the medal ceremony. 

Another two highlights for me were being the start umpire of the A finals at two different U23 World Championships. These were particularly special as both featured former ASRA rowers racing for GBR. In 2012, Iona Riley, won Silver racing in the womens eight and, in 2021, Miles Beeson competed in the mens eight. Miles, who won Gold, told me after the event that he was reassured to hear a Scottish voice coming from the start tower as it felt like he was back racing at Strathclyde Park.

I have been fortunate enough to umpire at regattas all round Europe as well as in Canada, China, Russia and Australia. I still have aspirations to umpire at another Olympics so, hopefully, my best experience is still to come. 

4. What advice do you have for any aspiring umpires who would like to get involved?

Come and have a chat to an umpire at the next event you go to. We are an inclusive, friendly bunch who are happy to share our experiences and answer any questions. After that, you can contact Neil Macfarlane, who heads up the SR umpires, and he will get you listed as a trainee. You then shadow and help out at regattas and heads for, ideally, 12 months to gain experience before sitting the exam. We have a fantastic team of umpires in Scotland including two who we hope will be taking international exams in the next 3 or 4 years. Hopefully some of you reading this will be inspired to join our flag-waving crew!

Image: Provided by Gary Bain. Gary with the Scotland flag at the Home International Beach Sprints in 2025.

If you want to get involved with Umpiring, fill in the interest form today or contact neil.macfarlane@scottish-rowing.org.uk