ICF Canoe Ocean Racing Committee activities

Canoe Ocean Racing is alive and well. The last quarter of the year has been a busy one.

After months of formulation, there were wholesale changes to the ICF Ocean Racing rules, proposed and accepted, at the ICF Board meeting in London in early April.

The principal change is that the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships will be held as an "open" event for the foreseeable future.

This means that there will be no limit on the number of participants that a federation may send to the event.

Paddlers will still be required to be members of their federation, and entries will be done through the ICF SDP system.

This should result in the event growing even larger than the almost 600 participants that competed last year.

The awarding of medals has also been brought into line with the traditionally accepted norm in ocean races.

With the ratification of World Championship bids from South Africa (2025), Spain (2026), Tahiti (2027), and France (2028), the discipline is set for an exciting and stable few years.

There are a number of exciting events on the calendar for the rest of the year, including a World Cup, that will be held on the island of Reunion in November, as well as a novel race that will be held in Malaysia in August, where all Canoe Ocean Racing contestants will paddle identical craft.

The Pahang International Ocean Paddling Festival will consist of four disciplines, being Dragon Boat, Canoe Marathon, SUP and Canoe Ocean Racing.

The plan is for all of the participants, from all of the disciplines, to be accommodated at the same venue, which will result in some fascinating cross cultural and cross discipline experiences.

The Host Organising Committee of this year's World Championships, to be held in Madeira, have been hard at work. The event looks like it is going to be spectacular, with the first bulletin having been circulated.

The ICF Canoe Ocean Racing Committee will be presenting another opportunity for federations to apply for positions on a TIP camp before the World Championships. Notice will be sent out shortly.

The Committee held a productive meeting in April, and will be holding another next month.

There has also been an ongoing investigation into active tracking devices that will be more affordable and applicable to our discipline. We should have some exciting news within a few weeks.

By Colin Simpkins, Chair of the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing Committee