ELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE Entry into the 2018 Australian Open Rowing Championships and Australian Open Schools Rowing Championships is open to all competitors who are authorised to compete by their affiliated Member Association and who are eligible under the Rowing Australia Rules and by-laws of Racing. A School competitor is one who qualifies as Under 21 (Youth) under the provisions of the RA rules and is attending a secondary school as a full time day student. Entrants in the Australian Open Schools Rowing Championships must represent their school. Rowing Australia has formally defined the requirements to be eligible to enter “University Events” in the November 2017 Rules of Racing update. A University competitor is one who qualifies as a University Competitor according to the Australian University Sport Guidelines. Rule 18.5 has also been changed to read “No competitor may race for more than one Club, Institute or School at the same regatta but a competitor may represent their State and their Club and their School or University (where they are representing their 5 University in a University Event) at a Regatta.” For the avoidance of doubt, a competitor may represent their university in a university event even if they might otherwise be a competitive member of another club. Overseas crews are welcome to compete in the Australian Open Rowing Championships. School crews from overseas may compete in the Australian Open Schools' Rowing Championships. A rower or coxswain’s age shall be taken at 31 December 2018. As an example, a rower or coxswain shall be classified as an Under 21 (Youth) rower until 31 December of the year in which the rower reaches the age of 20. For para rowers to be eligible to compete, athletes must be formally classified by a full RA or FISA Classification Panel and be granted an eligible sport class, and a national or international sport class status. Athletes who do not have a national or international sport class status, or have been given a sport class status of ineligible, are not eligible to compete at the Australian Open Rowing Championships. There will be an opportunity to gain classification at the regatta.