A good bottle of wine with a special rafting label

Putting the equipment sponsorship to the side, the question most people would like to know the answer to is: How do we raise money? There isn’t a straight forward answer and that’s probably because raising money isn’t easy and it will cost time and effort. Finding financial support can contribute massively to more enjoyment by taking pressure away and feeling valued whilst training for and competing in our beautiful sport.

There are a few really successful ways of raising money for rafting showcased by different teams. This article might give you a few ideas’ to start your own projects or find a sponsor. The below is tested by teams from the Netherlands, . . . → continue reading . . . Sponsorship, how do we get it?
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Commending his decades of involvement, achievements, and integral role in the formation and development of the International Rafting Federation (IRF), Rafael Gallo has been nominated as the first Honourary President of the IRF.

The new position was proposed by the current IRF President Joe Willis Jones, and approved by the IRF Board of Directors as an annex to the IRF Bylaws. The annex states that “The (IRF) Congress may bestow the title of ‘Honorary President’, or ‘Honorary Member’, respectively, upon any former President or member of the Executive Committee for meritorious service to rafting and the IRF … Honorary Presidents shall primarily serve as an IRF Ambassador.” The nomination of Mr. Gallo will be considered for ratification at the IRF Congress in March . . . → continue reading . . . Rafael Gallo Named Honourary President of International Rafting Federation
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We continue our River Family series, by meeting Ales Danek, member of the Czech Open Men’s team and Vice Chair of the IRF Athletes’ Committee.

Throughout this series we interview members of our River Family – you! We’re going to find out how people got involved, what keeps them motivated and why they stick with it.

And so we ask Ales, how did you get started in raft racing? More than 20 years ago it was a part (discipline) of national races of fixed boats kayaks and canoes so that was the ticket to rafting

What has motivated you to keep racing? Team work, fun, team sport, chance to be good together on any champs, to pass any exotic destination for world champs!

. . . → continue reading . . . We are river family – meet Ales Danek
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Eight teams were crowned as the European Champions in Slovakia recently. Let’s take a look at the champions and the medal winners.

U19 Men –

U19 Women

In the first of our River Family series, we meet Ine Skjørten, kayaker, raft guide, and raft race competitor with the most number of IRF championships under her belt and an ever smiling face on the raft race circuit.

Throughout this series, we interview the people that make rafting around the globe what it is – you! And so we start with Ine…

How did you get started in raft racing? In 1990, working on the Sjoa river here in Norway, a Costa Rican guide told about the Project RAFT 1991 pre world event in Costa Rica. We were at the time 7 female river guides working and two of us (Sølvi still on the team) thought it was a great idea to go. So we wrote to the women guides in Norway . . . → continue reading . . . We are river family – meet Ine Skjørten
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The International Rafting Federation (IRF) would like to thank Michal Cerny and his whole team for their excellent work in hosting the IRF’s 2018 European Rafting Championships in Cunovo, Slovakia.

We thank them for their willingness to work with us on all levels so that we could both achieve our objectives. We are especially grateful for the positive energy that their organising team brought to everything they did.

We’d also like to pass on our appreciation to Nadácia Pantheon Foundation and all sponsors and supporters of the event, without which the event would never have gotten off the ground.

Specific thanks must go to Michal as Event and Race Director, to Adam for all communication with ourselves and the teams participating, and a special thanks . . . → continue reading . . . Thank you Slovakia and Nadácia Pantheon Foundation!
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The 3rd International Cultural and Sporting Rafting Forum «White Water Sibiria 2018» (hereinafter referred to as the Forum) will be held in two stages from August 20 to August 29, 2018.

The first stage – Tomsk, Tomsk region (20 – 21.08.2018) The second stage – the Altai Republic (22 – 29.08.2018)

The entries have just closed – hopeful participants had to make a short video as to why they felt they should be chosen to attend this Forum.

Check out the Forum’s Facebook page to see the entries!

The main slogan of the «White Water of Siberia – 2018» – PEACE, . . . → continue reading . . . White Water of Siberia Forum – 2018 – entries are in!
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The IRF European Rafting Championships in Čunovo, Slovakia proved a showcase of talent from 67 teams from 14 countries across the continent – plus the Open Men’s team from Japan!

Faces new and old to IRF competitions showed up in Čunovo in the days leading up to the competition. All came with their game faces on – five even came with jet lag and varying degrees of accompanying luggage having just competed in the IRF Ziyuan Rafting Festival in China! The sun shone, spirits were high and the water flowed consistently – you couldn’t ask for a better start to an IRF European Championship.

Czech Republic, Great Britain and one of the IRF’s founding member nations, Russia, sent the most number of teams (13 each, and 14 . . . → continue reading . . . European Rafting Championships with a World twist
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The IRF introduced their Junior divisions in 2010 and this year is the 9th year there will be an Euro and a World Championship for them. The Euro Rafting Championship kicked off yesterday in Slovakia on the Cunovo course near Bratislava.

The Sprint, a straight race against the clock, saw the RUS1 (Russia) teams taking Gold in the U23 Women and Men’s categories. In the U19 Women it was CZE (Czech) who took Gold with home favourite, SVK (Slovakia), taking it in the U19 Men. Russia medalled in each category.

In the afternoon it was the Head-to-Head, always a popular event for spectators as 2 teams fight to get to the finish line first. With the new format of including buoys to be negotiated, the entertainment was even . . . → continue reading . . . IRF’s 9th Youth & Junior Euro Rafting Champs kicks off
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Brazil, Czech Republic, New Zealand and Norway dominated the podium at the 2018 IRF Ziyuan Rafting Festival. A broad spectrum of IRF member nation’s teams attended the event with thrills, two spills and no definitely no chills.

Representative teams from six continents attended the rafting festival this year. We had teams ranging in age from U19 to Masters all fiercely competing in what can only be described as amazing race conditions on the Zijiang and Wupai Rivers. We had teams from Argentina, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Serbia, USA and Zimbabwe. Just to spice it up, some teams also had team mates from other IRF member nations including Netherlands and Slovenia – this . . . → continue reading . . . Ziyuan Rafting Festival brings together teams from six continents
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It’s been ten years since I first met the Japanese OM team at the World Cup in Bosnia in 2008. This team’s setup has changed since then and I had the luck to seen many of the old team members again in Japan, competing in the Masters category in WRC 2017, where they attained the success they had 10 years previously by winning first place in this category.

TEIKEI is a club that has had impressive success so far: 3rd – WRC 2007 Korea; 2nd – WRC 2009 Bosnia; 1st – WRC 2010 Holland; 1st – WRC 2011 Costa Rica; 2nd – WRC 2013 New Zealand and then 2nd – WRC 2017 Japan. But now, and over time, under the well-known name TEIKEI (which is a major . . . → continue reading . . . ERC 2018 Slovakia guests – JPN OM team
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