Sports Letters: The spirit of competition

Sir: I watched this year's Oxford- Cambridge Boat Race with interest. While it may not be high on the priority list for some television viewers, it is well worth watching. There is, however, one aspect of the event I am at a loss to understand. Amongst this year's participants, I saw names of many mature postgraduates from this country and abroad - in both camps. In my opinion, this probably may not be against the strict interpretation of the rules and regulations, but surely it must be against the spirit of the race. This is a race where two universities are competing with each other and most people relate university to the undergraduates, and I suspect that must have been the idea of the originators of this race as well. I am well aware of the importance of these mature postgraduates as regards sponsorships etc, but still in the end it would be nice to see only the undergraduates from these two famous universities competing. I am interested to know how other people feel about it.

Yours sincerely,

MUKTI BHATTACHARYYA

Stockport

Cheshire

30 March