IRF Euro Cup races off to a big start

EC Romania – teams from across Europe

This year’ IRF Euro Cup series started on the Buzau River in Nehoiu, Romania, fondly referred to as the Dracula Race. Teams from as far away as Great Britain attended the event and were delighted to enjoy a great river in very different surroundings. Team “VIR” of Serbia nearly took a clean sweep of medals, just being beaten in the Sprint by team M.O.E. of Romania, who placed 2nd Overall. Vointa Arad of Romania were looking good for 3rd place, but a 5th in Slalom gave 3rd Overall to team HPP Notts of Great Britain. In the Open Women it was SKK KK NSA of Bulgaria once again taking the overall win by claiming 1st in the Downriver and . . . → continue reading . . . IRF Euro Cup races off to a big start

What’s coming up on the IRF events calendar?

This is always a very busy time in the IRF with the Northern Hemisphere season kicking off, and this year we add to that by having our World Champs and our Congress in May! The racing season picks up pace and there are plenty of GTE Workshops to choose from stretching around the world.

Congress 2019 – 13 and 15 May, Tully, Queensland, Australia!

Competitions on the near horizon (May/June):

The big favourite of the Euro Cup events – EC Wildalpen is on this weekend! Keep an eye on our social media to see what’s happening there. 12 nations, 24 men’s teams, 9 women’s teams! Czechia has a number of races happening in May and June. 4 to 5 May is the . . . → continue reading . . . What’s coming up on the IRF events calendar?

China 2019 Rafting World Cup now accepting team applications

The city of Ziyuan will once again throw open its doors and welcome teams from across the globe to the Ziyuan Rafting World Cup – this event will also be the 2020 IRF WRC Pre-Worlds event. Raft race teams are now invited to apply for registration to this now famous World Cup event. The competition will run from 28 July to 03 August 2019. Racing will be in the R4 format for men’s and women’s teams. As this event will be a World Cup event, racing will only be in the Open category however, teams from all age categories are welcome to race.

All racing will take place on the Wu Pai river in Guang Xi Province. All four race disciplines will be run with teams . . . → continue reading . . . China 2019 Rafting World Cup now accepting team applications

WRC 2019 participants – don’t forget your ….

Are you ready to Treasure the Tully? WRC 2019 is approaching fast! We hope you’re looking forward to it as much as we are! Below are a few reminders to make your championship memorable for all the right reasons!

Planning for your trip Take a read of this article – Important travel tips

Visas, customs and immigration Athletes, support crew and supporters from many nations need visas – check now and apply for a visa immediately if you need one as it takes time and needs invitations and supporting paperwork. Upon landing in Australia, there are very strict customs laws in effect – don’t get caught out! A basic rule is no food or natural products due to cross-contamination laws. More details on the Australian . . . → continue reading . . . WRC 2019 participants – don’t forget your ….

IRF’s Athletes’ Committee for 2019 / 20

A new Athletes’ Committee is to be appointed by the Athletes at the 2019 World Rafting Championships in Tully, Queensland, Australia.

The Committee is made up of three candidates from Europe and 2 each from Pan America and Asia/Oceania, making a total of 7. Please see the list of proposed candidates with photos and bios of each.

As there are the exact number of candidates representing the regions needed there will be no need for an election. These candidates will therefore be formally appointed during the WRC.

There will be a meeting for all Athletes (date and time to be confirmed) . . . → continue reading . . . IRF’s Athletes’ Committee for 2019 / 20

Meet our river family – Team Canada Open Men

This week we meet the Canadian Men’s rafting team based out of the Whitewater Region in Ontario, Canada. The team have attended several IRF rafting world championships and continue to strive to get better and learn from every event and opportunity. Their club is compiled of a number of veteran raft guides which allows them to field a team to compete as life has a tendency to tie up a few from continually competing every year. This year, they are proud to have a few returning team members to compete and a few fresh faces that will allow them to continue to grow the sport of raft racing in Canada.

. . . → continue reading . . . Meet our river family – Team Canada Open Men

We are river family – Bijan Arbab

Starting rafting in the very early “naughties” because he found a way to make money rather than spend it, this week we meet Bijan Arbab.

Desert hiking trips were a big factor in Bijan’s life and work experiences before he discovered paddling (and more importantly rafting!). In the Green Kalahari of South Africa, Bijan found a backpackers offering rafting where he used to stay when he was an avid desert hiker. At one point the company needed on-river help in camp with a big multi-day trip, so they asked him to come along. They put him in a 15 foot fibreglass canoe piled high with food and camp stuff, and told him to just follow the other guides. This experience made him realise how paddling is vastly superior to hiking (carrying food and water for a week at a time in a . . . → continue reading . . . We are river family – Bijan Arbab