It was a year to remember, and a year to forget. So we’ve pulled our top 10 articles of 2020 (as clicked on by you!). Which was your favourite?

1 – Save the Zambezi – Batoka Gorge threatened by huge dam
Back in April we shared updated plans on the devastating project which is seeking to dam the world famous Batoka Gorge. The Zambezi has a very special place in the heart of the IRF.

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By Athletes for Athletes: the ITA continues to champion raising clean sport awareness with a series of public webinars

After a successful pilot series of publicly available clean sport webinars tailored to the needs of athletes and support personnel, the International Testing Agency (ITA) continues to cover important anti-doping topics in 2021. Supporting the delivery of this important initiative is  Informed Sport, a global testing and certification program for sports supplements.

In an effort to provide continuous and relevant anti-doping education during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the ITA shifted its learning activities from event-based education to virtual sessions.

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There’s a lot of talk about climate change and climate action – but what does it mean in practical terms for rafters?

We have developed a short series of guides to support rafting operators, instructors, guides and recreational rafters in making informed sustainability decisions. The guides set out simple steps and ideas to get started and follow up with additional ideas and links for those ready to take the next steps. The IRF’s Practical Guide to Sustainability is aligned to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) sustainability strategy.

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Following on from our introduction last year, we catch up with Annalee Decker for her thoughts on what off water endeavours can bring to on water improvement.

Minding edges – by Annalee Decker

I’ve often been told the most difficult part of any adventure is the first step. However, through my wanderings in water and on land, I have come to strongly disagree with this notion. In my experience, the most arduous section of any journey is when you have reached the takeout.

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Urgent effort is required to stop the Batoka Gorge dam on the Zambezi river. This world renowned stretch of river is planned to be dammed for the purported benefits of hydro-electric production. The International Rafting Federation is vehemently opposed to the construction of the Batoka Gorge dam. Our objections to the dam have been lodged and include reasoning based on the recorded negative impacts following construction of other dams in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes negative impacts to communities, eco-systems and biodiversity.

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Georgy Nikitin, one of the participants of the first historical international rafting event – the World Championship on the Chuya River, shares some memories and highlights with us.

At the last Russian Rafting Federation (RRF) conference, Federation President, Aleksei Shirokov, reported that the rafting community restored historical justice in that Russia (more precisely, the USSR) was the ancestor of international rafting competitions. Many thanks to Jib Ellison of the USA, and of course, Mikhail Kolchevnikov and Anatoly Chernyshov of the USSR, who organised the first rafting World Championship on the Chuya River (Altai Republic) in 1989 under the banner of Project RAFT (Russians and Americans For Teamwork).

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