If you’ve ever wondered where Rafting Club “GIMPEX” are based and where they practice so as to achieve such good results at races in Europe and the World, you will have the opportunity to see during the Euro Rafting Champs this year because it is based in their home town of Straža. Hence Rafting Club “Gimpex Straža”.

They are pleased and proud to announce that they received confirmation from the Office of the President of Slovenia that the 2016 ERC will be held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor. Organizer of this year’s championship will be the Slovenian Rafting Federation, Straža Municipality and Rafting Club Gimpex Straža. President of the ERC Organising Committee is Dušan Krštinc – Mayor of the Municipality of Straza; Event Director is Andrej Petkovič and President of the Gimpex Rafting Club and President of the Slovenian Rafting Federation is Uroš Lovrenčič.

Straža is a fairly young municipality. The core of the municipal area is most heavily populated between the Krka River and Straska Gora, with the population of 3,861 people. The Krka River flows through this place and every year on the second weekend of July, residents gather and go rafting. If you decide to do some walks in and around Straže, we recommend the “Forest trail” which passes by the church of St. Thomas, where they discovered fragments of frescoes from the fourteenth century; the trail further leads you past vineyards and after a steep forest trail leads to the cave “Velika Prepadna”. Or you can choose the Roman trail … in either case – you will enjoy these forests and landscapes. The city has restaurants, pizzerias, pubs, cafés and more. If you are wine lovers then visit the “Wine House”. Or if you do not get enough adrenaline through the competition, you can fly in tandem as well as have a tour of this city from an aeroplane (www.kpl-kanj.si). In addition to good wine, the residents of this town are good at making salami, and for vegetarians and everyone else, be sure to try the home made cakes.

Rafting Club “GIMPEX Straža” have made their fellow citizens and the country proud many times, bringing medals back from competitions all over the world. And their family, friends and supporters really know how to support them, following them to many competitions, and welcoming them home as befits the champions they are. We have seen them in great numbers at our competitions around the world and so I can not imagine what kind of support they will have in their own city and country! There is no doubt that everything will be in the colour green of Slovenia, so we invite all other countries to come up with as many of their own fans as they can, to try to compete with the Slovenians! :)

Here is some more information about Straza and being a tourist in the area.