On December 25th, 2024, the ICF introduced some controversial rule changes. The community reacted promptly, and we had an article out just a day later on December 26th, 2024 (read here). While these rule changes were heavily debated on social media and covered by multiple outlets, the ICF has remained silent ever since.
Let us bring you up to speed on the changes that stirred so many emotions.
“Athletes taking part in the junior events at the World Championships must race in the one-design ICF SUP board 14.
This will make the sport more accessible for juniors due to reduced costs for equipment. This way, they can arrive at the venue with their paddles and not worry about equipment transportation. “
Particularly, junior elite athletes and their parents were not pleased with this decision. In fact, some have already announced that they will not be attending the next ICF World Championships this year.
Another major change in the rulebook was the following:
4.1.1 – Distances (page 28)
There will be no limit of the length of course for National and International Competitions. For Continental Championships, World Ranking Competitions, World Cups and World Championships, the recommended distances are:
4.1.1.a – Sprint – up to 250m;
4.1.1.b – Long Distance – between 5km and 35km;
4.1.1.c – Technical Race – between 800m and 5km.
Page 39 – 8.1.2 – Competition courses must be decided in advance where possible and published at least three (3) weeks before the competition.
This particular rule left many scratching their heads. The gap between the minimum and maximum distances is vast—especially in the long-distance category, where the difference is up to 600%.
Silence from the ICF
While the community tried to make sense of these changes, the ICF remained silent. We had been reaching out to them for quite some time and were fortunate to get a brief phone call with Hoichan Kwon, ICF SUP Delegate, while we were in transit in Europe this past January.
At Stand Up Magazin, we believe there is always more to the story, and we had hoped to receive a meaningful written statement from the ICF. However, despite numerous follow-ups, we have received nothing.
Given our community’s demand for answers—and our dwindling patience—we are now referring back to our conversation with Hoichan. One particularly interesting topic was the One Design Class for juniors and the idea that this approach could help grow participation in that division.
The One Design Debate
Beyond the unanswered questions—such as who would manufacture this board and what its exact specifications would be—Hoichan was convinced that this idea would work. We can agree on one thing: if we want to secure the future of competitive SUP, we must attract more young paddlers and their parents. The convenience of having race-ready boards at events is a huge advantage, especially when parents don’t have to bear the cost. This might drive participation.
Of course, we are aware of the counterarguments. Teenagers grow at different rates, meaning that a one-size-fits-all board could create unfair advantages or disadvantages—lighter riders might struggle with heavier boards, for example. However, according to Hoichan, in the bigger picture, the benefits of a One Design Class far outweigh the complaints of a few disgruntled elite juniors.
Distance Matters
The discussion surrounding race distances was different, as it remains unclear what exactly led to this decision. We have an outstanding inquiry with the ICF, but—once again—despite multiple follow-ups, there has been no response.
We speculate that this rule exists to give race organizers more flexibility in adjusting course lengths based on changing conditions. This is the only reasonable explanation we can come up with. However, does this explanation satisfy the mounting concerns of SUP athletes? Absolutely not. We hope that ICF officials are reading this article and will respond accordingly.
Conclusion
This ongoing saga illustrates that the ICF still does not fully understand SUP as a sport or its culture. We have learned to accept the canoefication of SUP and roll with the punches from both international governing bodies.
To their credit, the ICF has done a great job including all ages and skill levels in their World Championships and organizing solid events. However, the ICF would be well advised to hire people with actual SUP backgrounds—people who understand the sport, its culture, and how to communicate rule changes effectively.
Maybe, at this point, such a person could also remind them of a fundamental fact: stand-up paddling is done on boards, not in boats.