ICF SUP World Cup Debut in the UK

The inaugural ICF SUP World Cup & SUPER Festival 2026 marked a successful debut for the International Canoe Federation’s newest stand-up paddle racing event. Held from June 24–28 in Torquay on England’s picturesque Riviera coastline, the competition welcomed athletes from 15 nations and combined elite racing with a festival designed to make the sport accessible to paddlers of all abilities.

According to TotalSUP’s event report, one of the defining features of the event was its unique format. Elite competitors, recreational paddlers and first-time participants shared the same venue, beach and race courses throughout the week. The accompanying SUPER Festival featured equipment exhibitors, community activities and recreational races, creating an atmosphere that extended well beyond the official World Cup competition.

From a sporting perspective, the event belonged to two athletes.

Italy’s Cecilia Pampinella and Spain’s Manuel Hoyuela Rojas delivered flawless performances by winning all three Open division disciplines—Sprint, Technical Race and Long Distance. Their clean sweep made them the undisputed stars of the first-ever ICF SUP World Cup held in the United Kingdom.

Pampinella demonstrated remarkable consistency throughout the weekend. She secured victory in the Sprint Race ahead of Michelle Kimbler and Emily Louise Evans before adding wins in the Technical Race over Annabel Page and Hanna Kaminska. She completed her perfect campaign in the Long Distance Race, once again finishing ahead of Annabel Page, while Germany’s Skadi Langbein rounded out the podium.

Hoyuela was equally dominant in the men’s competition. The Spanish racer claimed Sprint gold ahead of Italy’s Tommaso Pampinella and France’s Greg Limelette before repeating the exact same podium order in the Technical Race. In the Long Distance event, Hoyuela once again proved untouchable, taking victory over Greg Limelette, while Tommaso Pampinella secured his third podium finish of the weekend.

The event also showcased the next generation of SUP racing talent. Portugal’s Lourenço Viveiros captured both the Junior Sprint and Technical Race titles, while Great Britain’s Alfred Gregory impressed on home waters by winning the Junior Long Distance race and adding silver medals in both Sprint and Technical competition.

Another standout performer was French paddler Greg Limelette, who collected three Open podium finishes with second place in the Technical Race, second in the Long Distance and third in the Sprint. Italy’s Tommaso Pampinella also enjoyed an outstanding weekend, finishing second in the Sprint and third in both the Technical and Long Distance races.

Beyond the racing itself, TotalSUP highlighted the atmosphere created by the organizers, volunteers and local SUP community. The event was praised for bringing together elite athletes and recreational paddlers in one festival environment, allowing participants to share the same launch area, race venue and podium celebrations regardless of experience level.

If the first edition is any indication, the ICF SUP World Cup & SUPER Festival has established a promising new international venue for stand-up paddle racing. With strong international participation, challenging race conditions and an emphasis on community engagement, the English Riviera provided a memorable setting for the World Cup’s UK debut.

Great to see that the Event got a good coverage by the BBC

Editorial note:

While the inaugural ICF SUP World Cup & SUPER Festival proved to be a successful event and a positive addition to the international race calendar, we believe the scheduling highlighted an issue that continues to hold the sport back.

The Torquay World Cup took place on the very same weekend as the European SUP League event in Poland, forcing many of the world’s top athletes to choose between two major international competitions. In our opinion, this kind of calendar overlap does not benefit the sport.

Stand-up paddle racing already has a relatively small pool of elite athletes compared to more established sports. Splitting that field across two important events inevitably weakens both competitions. Fans miss the opportunity to see the strongest possible line-ups, organizers lose the chance to showcase truly world-class racing, and athletes are put in the difficult position of having to decide which championship best serves their season.

As the sport continues to grow, cooperation between organizers and governing bodies should become a higher priority. A coordinated international calendar would allow athletes to compete at the biggest events without unnecessary conflicts while giving media, sponsors and fans the opportunity to follow the sport’s leading paddlers at full strength.

The success of both the ICF SUP World Cup in the United Kingdom and the European SUP League stop in Poland demonstrates that there is demand for high-level international racing. The next step should be ensuring these events complement each other rather than compete for the same athletes.