Neil Wallace wrote:
correction
2. I'm surprised refunds are NOT given for a cancellation.
I think you were right the first time.
I think it's all in the perspective. Ask the average competitor whether
refunds should happen and you'll get a yes. Ask the average organiser
and you'll get the slightly more pragmatic, no.
With an entry fee you're not just paying for your race, you're sharing
the costs of staging the event. Buying a CD from Amazon is not a
reasonable analogy, because we're not talking about a sculling race with
a million competitors spread over the course of a year. Insuring sports
events is an expensive business - and one I doubt we'd want the ARA to
get involved in.
Events are run by volunteers. Of course they are run for a profit, why
else would clubs want to get involved? Why would a club want to
underwrite an event that was a consistent loss maker? That said most
events do not make vast profits. Most barely make small ones.
If an event like the Scullers Head was to offer a complete refund to all
of its entrants, Vesta would be out of pocket a figure of the order of
ten thousand pounds. How many clubs or event committees can afford to
soak up that loss? I can guarantee that there would not be a race next
year.
