Lausanne, Switzerland – In an historic move towards the unification of the global rafting community, Joseph Willis Jones, President of the International Rafting Federation (IRF), and Danilo Barmaz, President of the World Rafting Federation (WRF), have signed a joint declaration on 24th May 2024 in Lausanne.
The agreement includes the following points:
- to work together as one family to grow rafting as a sport, for the benefit of all the stakeholders involved in the sport. This includes encouraging and supporting harmonious activities of all National Federations, which will also work as one family in their respective countries, and all the other stakeholders of the rafting movements (clubs);
- to support the Athletes (of all level and abilities), practitioners, technical officials, river guides and other rafting enthusiasts;
- to grow the sport and activities of rafting, organizing high level competitions and other events to promote rafting worldwide, while at the same time protecting and continuing the development of sustainable practices for rivers.
This significant agreement marks the beginning of a collaborative effort to unify the sport under a single international organization. Since the signing of the declaration, both organizations have maintained positive and constructive communications.
The reunification project aims to elevate rafting to a sport recognized by major international sports institutions and to enhance athlete participation in numerous competitions.
The initial concrete goals of this project include establishing unified sport rules and calendars starting January 1, 2025, and presenting our federations as single international organisation in any recognition proceedings before international sports institutions.
Both Presidents express their strong belief that if the rafting community can genuinely focus on common goals while setting aside differences, significant achievements can be realized swiftly for the benefit of the sport and its athletes.
This initiative not only aims to promote rafting on a global scale but also emphasizes the importance of protecting and sustainably developing the sport for rivers worldwide.
Both Federations are confident that this collaborative effort will lead to the growth and success of rafting, bringing it to new heights within the international sporting arena.
