Irish indoor rower Daniel Collins is challenging a rule requiring him to select UK nationality for his result to count in the 2026 British Rowing Indoor Championships rankings.
The former Irish champion, who competed under the Irish flag at last year’s event, says the requirement conflicts with his sole Irish identity and the protections established by the Good Friday Agreement.
“I identify as Irish, I'm not willing to declare myself as British in order to compete,” Collins told BBC News NI.
The dispute follows British Rowing’s decision to combine its national indoor championships with the World Rowing Indoor Championships (WRICH). Both competitions will take place at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre on 5–6 December, with each athlete racing once and their result entering the applicable rankings.
British Rowing says the world championships are open to all nationalities, while BRIC will operate as a national title event for British athletes. Its event guidance tells competitors holding dual nationality, including UK nationality, to select UK if they want their performance included in the BRIC standings.
Collins could therefore race in Birmingham as an Irish athlete and receive a world ranking. He objects to selecting UK nationality so that the same performance also counts towards the British championship.
Irish identity and British eligibility
Collins was born in Donegal and has lived in Derry since he was 10. His father was born in County Tyrone, a connection through which Collins says British citizenship is attributed to him under British nationality law.
Collins maintains that legal eligibility does not define his national identity. He has only ever held an Irish passport and says he does not regard himself as British.
“My only objection is that I would have to declare as British because that's not something I feel I am, even though I'm otherwise eligible,” he told RTÉ Sport.
The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, recognises that people in Northern Ireland have the right from birth to identify as British or Irish, or both, and to have that choice accepted, as well as to hold both citizenships. Collins argues that the BRIC entry process fails to accommodate those who are eligible under British law but identify solely as Irish.
“A rower from Derry who identifies as British would be able to compete without any issue,” Collins said. “My right to identify as Irish is enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement and that should be upheld.”
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood has raised the case with British Rowing and UK Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock MP. Eastwood described the situation as regrettable and said Collins’s Irish identity should be respected.
One race, two rankings
British Rowing promotes the Birmingham format as “2 Championships, 1 Race/Entry”. All eligible performances will enter the WRICH rankings, while results from UK citizens can also appear in the BRIC rankings and contest national titles.
“This year, the World Rowing Indoor Championships will run alongside the British Rowing Indoor Championships,” a British Rowing spokesperson said. “To allow for both events to be held concurrently, the British Rowing Indoor Championships will run as a national title event for British athletes, while the World Rowing Indoor Championships is open to athletes of all nationalities.”
The governing body said competitors from every nation would race concurrently and share the same competition experience. The event will be the first in-person World Rowing Indoor Championships since 2024.
At the 2025 BRIC, Collins entered three events and recorded two top-10 finishes under the Irish flag. He also won gold and silver at that year’s Irish Indoor Rowing Championships.
Collins described the 2025 competition as well run and welcoming. He said he wants to contest as many elite events as possible and collect rankings and medals without declaring an identity he rejects.
Collins has suggested neutral status could provide a compromise, although his preference remains competing under the Irish flag. Entries for the Birmingham championships close at 13:00 UTC on 24 November.
