Many teams that come 2nd or lower in their national champs / selections don’t know about IRF Race Rule B.12.c.

This rule states that if the 1st placed team is unable to attend the World Champs or Continental Champs then they can be replaced by the team that finished 2nd, and so on down the line. 

Sometimes the 1st placed team is unable to go for various reasons, often funding, and so this rule is there to ensure that your nation can still try send a team to the WRCs. So if you know your 1st team cannot go then contact the event organisers to register your 2nd team. Or if the first team has not confirmed that they are registering at least one week before the registration closing date then your 2nd team is eligible to register to go if they do it immediately.

Also, keep in mind that at least 4 (for R6 and 2 for R4) out of the original team of paddlers that were in the raft when they qualified at their national selections must be in the team that goes to the World or Continental Champs. (Exceptions may be made if a paddler has to drop out at the last minute due to injury or other serious reason but this must be accepted by the IRF S&C Com first.)