Indoor rower says 'he must declare as British' to compete for ranking

An athlete who previously represented Ireland has said he will only be able to compete and receive a ranking in the British Rowing Indoor Championships (BRIC) if he declares himself as British during the entry process.

Daniel Collins is based in Northern Ireland and competed in last year's event as an Irish entrant.

Collins says this year's event is being run concurrently with the World Rowing Indoor Championships and, as a result, entry rules have changed.

British Rowing said that, to allow for both events to be held concurrently, the BRIC "will run as a national title event for British athletes, while the World Rowing Indoor Championships (WRICH) is open to athletes of all nationalities".

Collins was born in the Republic of Ireland in the border county of Donegal but has been a resident in Londonderry in Northern Ireland since he was ten. His father is also originally from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland

"I identify as Irish, I'm not willing to declare myself as British in order to compete," Collins said.

The 2026 competition is due to be held at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in December.

The British Rowing Indoor Championships (BRIC) is the UK's premier annual indoor rowing competition. This year, the event will uniquely host the World Rowing Indoor Championships (WRICH) concurrently at the same venue.

On the event website, in relation to a question on athletes with dual nationality - including the UK - wanting to enter under their other nationality it states: "Please select UK as your nationality if you wish your performance to appear in the BRIC rankings."

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Collins said his reading of the rules is that he is eligible to compete on the grounds that under British law, he is deemed a British citizen by descent through his parent but says he is not prepared to declare he is British as he says it is "something I am not".

"The principles of the Good Friday Agreement support my position here and I don't believe that British Rowing has a full understanding of that.

"A rower from Derry who identifies as British would be able to compete without any issue.

"My right to identify as Irish is enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement and that should be upheld."

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and, under the British Nationality Act 1981, a person born in the UK will generally be a British citizen by birth if, at the time of their birth, one of their parents was either a British citizen or settled in the UK.

Under the Good Friday Agreement, signed on 10 April 1998, the people of Northern Ireland have the birthright to identify and be accepted as British or Irish, or both, and to hold both British and Irish citizenship.

The British-Irish Agreement, which forms part of the Good Friday Agreement, is an international agreement between the UK and Irish governments and gives commitments relating to equality, parity of esteem and citizenship legal force in international law.

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood has described the situation surrounding Collins' case as "regrettable" and said he has raised it with British Rowing and UK Sports Minister, Stephanie Peacock MP.

"There are unique circumstances around citizenship and identity for people from the north," Eastwood said.

"Daniel is entitled to British and Irish citizenship but identifies solely as Irish and that should be respected."

In 2022, three Northern Irish gymnasts – including Olympian Rhys McClenaghan – were told they would possibly have to renounce the Irish identity on their gymnastics licence if they wanted to compete in the Commonwealth Games.

Many individual athletes, including Rhys McClenaghan, who is from Newtownards in Northern Ireland, and track and field athlete Kate O'Connor, who was born at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry, Northern Ireland, and lives in Dundalk in the Republic of Ireland, have represented Ireland at events such as the Olympics and Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games.

While Hannah Scott, who is from Coleraine in Northern Ireland, has competed and won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics for Team GB in the women's quadruple sculls.

Some team sports also operate on an all-island basis, with athletes from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland competing together, while others, have separate teams representing Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Collins has said that he remains hopeful a resolution can be reached.

"The event I was at last year was absolutely fantastic, I was really proud to be there and people have questioned why I, as an Irish man, want to compete in a British championship," Collins said.

"My answer is that I am an elite athlete and this an elite level competition.

"I want to compete and secure as many elite rankings and medals as I can."

In a statement to BBC News NI, a British Rowing spokesperson said "competitors of all nationalities will race concurrently and will all be part of the same fantastic racing experience that British Rowing has provided for many years".

"We are looking forward to welcoming the very best indoor rowers from across the world to Birmingham for both the British Rowing Indoor Championships and the first in-person World Rowing Indoor Championships since 2024," they added.