Olympic stars Fintan McCarthy and Paul O'Donovan set for Henley Royal Regatta

Joining them in the Open events is a Quadruple Scull comprising of Gary O’Donovan and Daire Lynch

Fintan McCarthy and Paul O'Donovan celebrate victory in the Olympic Lightweight Men's Double Sculls Final at the Tokyo Games. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.

Henley Royal Regatta will look different this year because of Covid-19 safety protocols, with competitors boating from the opposite side of the river, far away from the finishing enclosures.

It is also a little smaller, but not by much; there are 345 races as compared to 355 in 2019. Understandably perhaps, overseas numbers are down, but significantly, the number of Irish crews is the highest in recent years, numbering 11.