THE RIGHT TO A World Championship The (ICF) future of SUP Racing

The battle to determine who has the right to be SUP’s governing body has raged between federations, athletes, media, manufacturers, and friends. In 2018, when the ICF (the International Canoe Federation) first tried to organize its own world championships, the ISA (International Surfing Association) put enormous pressure on athletes and manufacturers to boycott the event; they also started a legal battle forbidding the ICF from organizing such an event. But the ICF fought back, and this past fall saw the first ICF SUP world championships, complete with racers and big names across SUP disciplines from all over the world. ICF Communication Manager Ross Solly reflects on the event and shares the ICF vision for the future of stand up paddle racing.

Words: Ross Solly

Despite predictions to the contrary, and efforts by some to denigrate and even sabotage the event, in October 2019, the International Canoe Federation’s first stand up paddling world championships finished with record viewing figures, record country and athlete numbers and record-breaking winning times in Qingdao, China. The question many are now asking – where to next? "HAVING EXPERIENCED THE CALIBER OF EVENT THE ICF CAN PUT ON, AND HAVING SEEN THE RESPONSE ONLINE, THERE WAS LITTLE DOUBT AMONG THE ATHLETES AND OFFICIALS THAT THIS WAS THE FUTURE." The ICF has big plans for the future and has already chosen Hungary as the venue for the next world championships – but more on that later. From the start, the ICF set out to make the 2019 SUP world championships about the athletes. The…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, SUP Paddle World magazine 2020

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