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The Boat Race is a unique event steeped in history: an annual challenge, in its 178th year, between the boat clubs of two of the oldest and most prestigous universities in the world. The Boat Race is a quintenssential part of the nation's culture, and as such generates an astonishing level of interest, both in Britain and worldwide.

That rivalry is intense is to say the least. After an Oxford victory in 2000, Cambridge were the eventual winners of a controversial race in 2001 following an unprecedented restart. The 2002 encounter saw Oxford trailing half a length at Barnes Bridge, but the Blue Boat rowed through Cambridge round the outside of the final bend to win by two seconds at the finish. It was the first time in fifty years that the crew behind at Barnes had come back to win, nevermind the crew on the outside of the final bend. In 2003 the Oxford boat was over a stone per man lighter than their Cambridge counterparts but overturned the biggest weight disadvantage in the history of the race to win by the smallest margin ever - one foot - in one of the most exciting races of all time.

The 150th Boat Race in 2004 saw repeated heavy clashing that knocked the Oxford bowman off his seat. In similar circumstances (the Cambridge bowman catching a crab during heavy clashing and losing his oar) the 2001 race was stopped; this time round the race was left to continue, and Cambridge unsurprisingly ran out the winners. In 2005 OUBC returned to make amends, and in a Boat Race that many heralded as showcasing the strongest Blue Boats either University had ever put out, Oxford - the heaviest crew of all time - dominated the race from start to finish to win in the second fastest time ever.

In 2006, the Cambridge camp once again waxed lyrical about the historically unprecedented speed of their Blue Boat; and Oxford once more domintated the race from start to finish for a decisively emphatic victory. In 2007, a much more experienced Cambridge crew finally got the victory CUBC had been hankering for for so long, coming home just over a length in front of a dogged and resiliant Oxford crew who had raced themselves in to the ground and made everyone associated with the club proud. The 2008 Boat Race saw the Dark Blues of Oxford score an emphatic six and a half length victory and reclaim the Boat Race trophy from Cambridge.

Each season the focus is on the Boat Race, but the Oxford programme is also a strong basis for high-level performance for the rest of the year. Many Oxford oarsmen go on to compete for Great Britain and other countries internationally: at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 four Gold medallists came from Oxford, whilst from Athens in 2004 Oxford oarsmen brought home two Gold medals and one Silver.