The 2024 Panamerican Rafting Championships are set to make waves in Pucón, Chile, with an impressive lineup of competitors. This year, 70 teams will compete, including 27 men's teams, 16 women's teams,...
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Step by step the international calendar is taking shape.
After the Covid-19 outbreak the Asian Championship planned for last October was suspended.
Everything in India was ready but nothing is gone: the resort town of Manali in the Himachal Pradesh state has to wait one year, and just for international athletes.
Indeed, the Indian Rafting Foundation will put in place its proven experience firstly organising the 14th National Championship in Manali from 24th to 28th March 2021.
Beas river flows through the Kullu valley
The race will be a springboard for the local organisation and will select the National teams for the season: we will see them in June at the World Champs in France and then “at home” paddling in Beas river again for the Continental title.
The class III+ river that rises in the Himalayas, almost 4000m above the sea level, will host its second race of 2021: WRF Asian Rafting Championship, from 6th to 10th October.
Indian team captains
Mr. Shaukat Pal Sing Sikand, Indian Rafting Foundation President, is satisfied with the Championships in March and October but that’s not all.
Many local events will be held all around India in order to increase the sport awareness among young generations and two international River Festivals in August 2021 are official for now, where also safety kayakers are invited.
From 1st to 8th August a limited number of international teams can participate in the 5th Kashmir Rafting Cup on the river Sind, in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir state.
Sind river
From 19th to 22th August Ladakh River Festival, well known as one of the highest kayaking competitions, opens its doors: rafting in the namesake of modern India, the great Indus River.
Indus river
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During the last months the WRF Training Guide Programme Commission worked on the structure and contents of our Training Programme, appointing its details, and shared the fundamental steps during an e-conference where National Training Responsibles and Presidents took part in November.
After the initial greetings of the WRF President Danilo Barmaz, Francesco Fiorini, WRF Sport and competitions Commission member, introduced Mr. Xavier Postiaux from Belgium and Mr. Christian Huenchuleo from Chile, responsible and member respectively of the WRF Training Guide Programme Commission, and experienced rafting guides.
Mr. Xavier Postiaux, rafting guide since 1996.
He worked and paddled on the rivers of Europe, Iceland, Russia, Nepal, Canada, Peru and Chile.
The present situation counts about 20 National Training Responsible. This pivotal figure is in charge to schedule the training of the river guide and coach on the whole national territory, to train the instructors, to guarantee the maintenance of the standards laid down by the WRF Commissions in accordance with the local structures. The National Training Responsible is also the appointed interlocutor with the WRF Training Commission, cooperating in the international fields.
The aim of the WRF concerning this issue is to rise the number of the National Training Responsible to 39, the current members of the World Rafting Federation, without replacing the local organisation but sharing experiences and knowledges that will give an input to designate strategic points. Our river world will not grow up “from above”: there are not WRF instructors, WRF guides or WRF coaches; the WRF Training Commission indeed supports the training of instructors on request from the members, providing documents, workshops and any help it can get to the National Federation. The WRF Executive Board, that monthly calls a virtual but critical meeting due to the current pandemic situation, reiterates the philosophical will to share and cooperate.
Four starting points named “WRF Center of Excellence” show the strategic significance of building a network.
Huenchuleo Christian from Chile, President of the National Federation and Co-manager of the WRF Training Programme Commission, is working on the WRF Centre at the UFRO (Universidad de la Frontera) in Pucon, where he is already an instructor and the training manager of the white water activities.
Mr. Huenchuleo Christian is also a member of the National Rafting Team.
In India, the President of the Indian Rafting Foundation Shaukat Pal Sing Sikand is preparing the Centre of Excellence that will organise the next Asian Rafting Championship: the Grajretreat Resort (Himachal Pradesh state), in the middle of the Himalayas, is ready to host a great competition on the III+ level river Beas.
WRF President Danilo Barmaz and Mr. Shaukat Pal Sing Sikand from India
In June 2021 the World Rafting Championship will be held in L’argentière La Bessée. The WRF Centre, inaugurated in February 2019, gave birth to the Agonistic Rafting in France: the first National Rafting Championship in history took place there, 3 months later.
L’Argentière La Bessée on Durance river, in the middle of the French Alps
Last, and definitely not least, Sarapiqui Paddle Sports represents the Centre of Excellence of Costa Rica. The already structured organisation is the result of the 27 years of experience in organising river adventures and will give a fundamental input to the rafting movement in Central America.
Sarapiqui Paddle Sports since 1993: exploration and education
The WRF Training Programme for River Guide and Coach is available on our website and exposes the minimum standards required for the training of instructors, river guides and coaches, analysing the double aspect of rafting: the leisure activity and the sport.
The documents about the training structure and the pathway to become an instructor are available in the “River Guide” section on the WRF website.
WRF would also like to invite who is keen on rafting and its development to take a look at our website and consider the opportunity to go forward with our movement: do not hesitate to contact us, we can support each other!