Robert Whitla Richards (July 9, 1909 – May 19, 1989) was a Canadian rower who competed in the 1930 British Empire Games, where he won a gold medal alongside his cousin Elswood Bole.

[1] A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Richards won the Canadian national championships in the double sculls six times between 1928 and 1950,[2] but missed qualifying for the Summer Olympics in 1932.

In 1926 he began a career as a stockbroker[4] and, during World War II, he served in the Canadian Army, eventually reaching the rank of Captain.

They defended their crown the following year and were selected to represent Canada at the 1930 British Empire Games, where they captured a gold medal.

[2] He then attempted to qualify for the double sculls event at the 1932 Summer Olympics with Theo Dubois, but they were defeated in the trials by Noël de Mille and Ned Pratt of the Vancouver Rowing Club.