There is an overwhelming keenness amongst our followers to assist with support for Ukraine. We’ve been contacted by some offering help, and others asking how they can help.

Rafters offering support for Ukraine

• In Romania we have Mihai Mares, an IRF GTE Instructor, offering to assist with shelter, jobs in the summer and possibly food and money if any Ukrainian guides and their families are in or near Romania. Contact Mihai.
• In Czech, Svaz vodáků České republiky – Rafting (SVoCR) is offering accommodation and assistance in Prague to Ukrainian rafters.

Continue reading...

The Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) have an awesome auction coming up where you can bid on some incredible adventure trips in all sorts of places around the world.

• An Alaskan multi-day rafting trip
• Two different California rafting trips
• A historic Colombia rafting and cultural adventure
• A multi-day, multi-sport adventure in Huasteca Potosina, Mexico
• Costa Rica experiences in the cloud forest, at a beach paradise, by Tortuguero National Park, rafting, a canopy zipline tour, and staying in a treehous

RAFA was set up to further the conservation work of Rafa Gallo who was founder of RAFA and needs little introduction to those who have been with the IRF for many years.

Continue reading...

There are two options to become an IRF Race Judge coming up.

The first option is an online Judges Workshop for new Judges. This is particularly handy for those who wish to become Judges for their local/regional events but never get the chance to attend the face-to-face IRF Judge Workshops usually offered. 

The second option is at World Rafting Championships 2022 in BiH at the end of May. 

Continue reading...

With registration recently closing we can now confirm that 65 teams have registered for the 2022 World Rafting Championships being held in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) from the 25 May to the 1 June. These 65 teams will represent 22 countries from around the world in men’s and women’s divisions and in Under 19, Under 23, Open, and Masters (40+) categories.

Three years since last WRC

With the last World Rafting Championship having been three years ago in May 2019 on the Tully River in Australia, teams are very keen to once again be competing at the highest level, and enjoying time with their fellow rafting friends from around the world.

Continue reading...

Kianoosh Mehrabi was first elected to the IRF BOD in 2015 when he became Co-head of the Recreation and Conservation Committee. In 2017, with the growth of importance of conservation this committee was split to form two committees and Kianoosh became Chair of the Conservation Committee, which became the Sustainability Committee in 2021.

We spoke to Kianoosh to find out more.

Can you give us a short history of your rafting experience

I started kayaking when I was 13 years old (1985).

Continue reading...

Here are the team information updates for the IRF World Rafting Championship 2022 on the Vrbas and Tara Rivers in May. This extra information will help teams with their planning for the trip to the WRC in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH.

Registration

In this second Team Information letter teams will find information to assist them with registration processes, remind them of the need to get their registration forms to their Federations so the federations can send them in to us by the closing date of 10 March.

Continue reading...

As the globally recognised leader of the rafting community, the International Rafting Federation (IRF) is shocked and dismayed by the acts of aggression by the Russian government’s actions in its decision to order the invasion of Ukraine and the military assault on the Ukraine people. We have watched in horror as Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure have been wilfully targeted. Refugee officials report that more than a million Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring countries as the war intensifies, representing the largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Continue reading...