The countdown to the Centenary of the Women’s Boat Race has officially begun, as the Presidents of Oxford and Cambridge have issued their challenges for the 2027 Boat Race.

At the traditional Presidents’ Challenge, held ahead of each Boat Race, the Presidents of the previous year’s losing crews formally challenge their victorious opponents to defend their titles. With the Women’s Boat Race celebrating 100 years in 2027, this year’s challenges mark the beginning of one of the most significant seasons in the history of the event.

Oxford Men’s President Alex Sullivan challenged Cambridge Men’s President Simon Hatcher, who accepted the challenge.

Sullivan is a Harvard graduate originally from Queensland, Australia, while Hatcher is studying for a PhD in nuclear physics. Both will now lead their crews towards the 2027 CHANEL J12 Men’s Boat Race, which will be raced first on the Championship Course at 15.40.

In the Women’s Boat Race, Cambridge President Eloise Etherington challenged Oxford President Kyra Delray, who accepted.

Etherington leads the Light Blues after Oxford’s historic victory in 2026, while Delray is a veteran of The CHANEL J12 Boat Race, having raced for Oxford in both 2025 and 2026.

The challenges set the stage for a landmark 2027 edition, when the order of racing on the Championship Course will be reversed. The CHANEL J12 Men’s Boat Race will take place at 15.40, followed by the CHANEL J12 Women’s Boat Race at 16.40 – the first time the Women’s Boat Race will be the final Championship Course race of the day.

The change forms part of a year-long celebration of the Centenary of the Women’s Boat Race. The first race was held in Oxford in 1927, when the crews were not permitted to compete directly against one another. Instead, they rowed separate races and were judged on style and speed.

A century later, the Women’s Boat Race has become one of the biggest events in women’s sport. In 2026, Oxford produced one of the performances of the day, rowing away from Cambridge in exceptionally rough conditions to secure their first Women’s Boat Race victory since 2016.

Cambridge responded in the men’s race, holding off an aggressive Oxford challenge to claim a fourth consecutive victory.

The 2026 Boat Race also marked a new era for the event off the water, with Channel 4 and Times Radio joining as broadcast partners. More than 200,000 spectators watched from the banks of the Championship Course, while the event reached a further 17 million people through its digital and broadcast coverage. The CHANEL J12 Women’s Boat Race was the fifth most-watched women’s sports production of 2026, including coverage of the Olympic Games.

In 2027, the stakes will be even higher. Cambridge will seek to extend its recent dominance in both races, while Oxford will arrive as the defending Women’s champions.

The Centenary year will also see the introduction of two new CHANEL J12 Boat Race trophies, designed by the CHANEL Watch Creation Studio and crafted by Thomas Lyte. The trophies will be awarded to the winning men’s and women’s crews for the first time in April.

The challenges have been issued. The crews now have six months to prepare for a Boat Race unlike any other – and for the Women’s Boat Race, a celebration 100 years in the making.