Boat Race 2024 LIVE: Start time, TV channel and latest build-up to Oxford vs Cambridge races

Jenna Armstrong (President)

Boat Race organisers have warned rowers to not enter the water on safety grounds after high levels of E coli bacteria were found on the River Thames course.

The new safety guidance could see the end of the traditional celebration for the winning team, where team members jump into the river and the cox gets a ducking. The 78th women’s race and 169th men’s race are still due to take place this weekend.

Last year, Cambridge men’s cox Jasper Parish was thrown into the Thames at Mortlake, as is the tradition at the end of the race. But a repeat is now unlikely after the River Action campaign group found an average of 2,869 E coli colony-forming units (CFU) per 100ml of water in 16 tests around Hammersmith Bridge.

The men’s race was first held 195 years ago and has been an annual event since 1856, with a women’s race running on the same day and course since 2015.

There was double joy for Cambridge last year as both their male and female crew bested their Oxford University rivals over the 4.2-mile weave through London.

Indeed, Cambridge crews completed a clean sweep of all races in 2023, with their openweights, reserves and lightweights also taking victory in a feat only achieved twice before.