EXCERPTS FROM THE RULES OF ROWING

Penalities.

Matters subject to protest.

Protest procedures.

2-601 Imposition of Penalties; Effect on Crew Members

(a) Race officials may in the course of their duties impose the penalties described in Rule 2-602 ("Types of Penalties") on crews as authorized under these Rules. It is not necessary for a competing crew to lodge a protest in order for a race official to impose a penalty.
(b) A crew and its members are each responsible for the individual acts of its members. Unless otherwise provided pursuant to Rule 2-602(d)(2) ("Types of Penalties"), any penalty imposed on a crew shall also be deemed imposed on each member of the crew.

2-602 Types of Penalties

(a) Reprimand: A reprimand shall consist of an informal caution, and shall have no immediate effect upon a crew. Subsequent behavior by the crew inconsistent with the terms of the reprimand, however, may be evidence that the crew acted flagrantly or intentionally.
(b) Warning: A crew that receives two warnings applying to the same race shall be excluded pursuant to subsection (c) below. A false start shall have the same effect as a warning.
(1) All warnings shall expire and be of no further effect once the race to which they apply has been successfully completed. If a race is rerowed, warnings applicable to the original race shall also apply to the rerow.
(c) Exclusion: A crew that is excluded shall be removed from the event. The excluded crew may still compete in other events.
(d) Disqualification: A crew that is disqualified shall be removed from all subsequent races and events in the same regatta. Disqualification shall be presumed to be appropriate where a crew has acted in flagrant or intentional violation of rules concerning safety or fairness.
(1) In no event shall the duration of disqualification imposed by an individual race official or Jury exceed the duration of the regatta. All cases of disqualification, however, shall be reported to the USRowing Judge-Referee Committee.
(2) Instead of disqualifying a crew, race officials may disqualify an individual competitor, in which case the remainder of the crew may continue in subsequent events in which it is able to comply with the rule regarding substitutions (Rule 5-207).

2-603 Restoring Opportunity of Winning; Altering Results

(a) If the Referee finds that a crew has been deprived of its fair opportunity of winning, placing, or advancing, whether due to interference or other unfair condition on the course, he or she shall take such measures as are necessary to restore that opportunity. Such measures may include rerowing a race with all or some of its original participants, or advancing the aggrieved crew into an extra lane in a semifinal or final.
(b) If the Referee advances an aggrieved crew into a semifinal or final under subsection (a) above, he or she may also require the crew to row over a portion of the course at a racing cadence, if such action is necessary to prevent the crew from gaining an unfair advantage over other crews.
(c) Apart from imposing one of the penalties described in Rule 2-602 ("Types of Penalties") or taking action under subsection (a) above, the Referee shall not alter the placement of crews in a race, except that:
(1) He or she may order, as an alternative to imposing one of those penalties, that a crew guilty of interference be placed directly behind the aggrieved crew in the order of finish, if such action would restore the aggrieved crew's opportunity of winning or advancing, and if the rights of other crews in the race would not be adversely affected.
(2) He or she may order that an aggrieved crew shall be considered to have rowed a dead heat with the crew immediately preceding it in the order of placement. Such action may result in duplicate medals being awarded.

2-604 Matters Subject to Protest

(a) Any crew claiming that a race in which it competed was not fair or proper, or that the Rules of Rowing were not followed, or that its opportunity of winning was unfairly deprived, may lodge a protest as described in Rule 2-605 ("Lodging a Protest").
(b) Only matters that affect the substantial rights of a crew shall be subject to protest, and the Jury shall disregard harmless errors that did not affect the outcome of the race.
(c) To the extent that race officials acting within the scope of their duties make explicit findings of fact, those findings shall be final and not subject to review, by protest, appeal, or otherwise. Such findings shall include, but not be limited to, a finding by the Referee as to whether a crew was out of its lane, a finding by the Judge at Start as to whether a crew left the starting line early, or a finding by the Chief Judge and Judges regarding the order of finish.

2-605 Lodging a Protest

(a) A protest involving the conduct of a race shall be lodged by the crew at the finish while it is still on the water and before the Referee declares the race to be official, unless circumstances beyond its control prevent it from doing so. A coach or other team member may not lodge such a protest on behalf of a crew. A protest concerning exclusion of a crew at the start may be lodged with the Starter at the time.
(1) A protest concerning any action on land shall be lodged by an affected team member with the Chief Judge, or with another race official designated by the Chief Referee, within one hour after being informed of such action. The protest statement required under Rule 2-606 ("Filing the Protest Statement") shall be filed within the same time.
(b) A crew wishing to lodge a protest shall signal to the Referee immediately after finishing the race by having a member of the crew raise his or her hand until the attention of the Referee has been gained. The Referee shall thereupon inquire as to the nature of the protest.
(1) If the Referee concurs in the protest, he may impose whatever penalty or other corrective action is proper under these Rules, and shall announce that fact to the crews affected. If no crew protests that penalty or corrective action, he shall declare the race to be official as described under Rule 2-503(b)(3) ("Declaring the Race To Be Official").
(2) If the Referee does not concur in the protest, and if upon hearing the Referee's opinion the crew withdraws the protest, the Referee shall declare the race to be official as described in Rule 2-503(b)(2) ("Declaring the Race To Be Official"). If the protesting crew does not accept the Referee's opinion, or if a crew protests a penalty or corrective action imposed by the Referee, the Referee shall so inform the Chief Judge (Rule 2-503(b)(4)).

2-606 Filing the Protest Statement

(a) Once a protest is lodged, a crew wishing to be heard before the Jury shall submit a concise written statement, describing the facts that underlie the protest and the relief that the crew seeks, to the Chief Judge, or with another race official designated by the Chief Referee whose identity is conspicuously posted, within one hour after it reaches land. The statement shall be accompanied by cash or check payable to the local organizing committee in the amount of $25.00. A protest in which such a statement is not filed shall not be heard.
 (1) The protest statement shall be signed by a member of the protesting crew in his or her individual name. Such signature constitutes a representation to the Jury that the facts contained therein are true and correct to the best of the signer's knowledge or belief.
(2) The $25.00 shall be returned to the crew if the protest is upheld, or if it found by the Jury to be substantially justified. The $25.00 shall also be returned to the crew if an appeal to the Judge-Referee Committee under Rule 2-608 ("Appeal from the Jury") is sustained. The $25.00 shall otherwise be remitted to the local organizing committee.
(3) The written protest statement may be amended after it is submitted, but the Jury may take such amendment into account in assessing the credibility of the statement.