Sport & Competition Committee

The remit of the Sport & Competition Committee (S&C Com) is Raft Racing.

  1. The Sport and Competition Committee is responsible for advancing ARTICLE 5, Sections 5, 6 and 7 of the Bylaws, and shall have oversight over all IRF policies and decisions that are related to sport and competition; including issues which are debated within its sub-Committees.
  2. The First Vice President shall serve as Chair of the Sport and Competition Committee. The Chair must be qualified for the position, which requires that he/she be very active in the IRF Sport and Competition Committee, and be fully knowledgeable of the various roles of the committee.
  3. The Sport and Competition Committee shall be composed of ten to twenty (10-20) members who are appointed by the Executive Committee and who are active in matters concerning sport and competition. The Sport and Competition Committee may not include more than one (1) member from any single country.

The responsibilities of the Sport and Competition Committee include:

  1. Taking steps necessary to achieve the following objectives of the IRF World Rafting Championships (WRC):
    1. Organize R4 or R6 WRC each year.
    2. Expose more rafting participants to international and national competition.
    3. Increase the profile of the sport internationally.
    4. Provide the opportunity for rafting organizations to upgrade their technical and administrative skills.
    5. Provide an opportunity to conduct additional elite rafting programs (e.g., coaches’ and judges’ seminars) with international teams, coaches, and officials.
    6. Provide opportunities for the international public to witness the world’s best athletes in action.
    7. Provide opportunities for exposure of the world’s best athletes as role models for youth.
    8. Provide impetus for the development of international standards for rafting facilities, race formats, and equipment.
    9. Provide the opportunity for economic benefit to WRC host countries and sponsors.
  2. Maintaining the official Race Rules, which involves at minimum:
    1. Creating, updating and eliminating race rules and regulations when necessary after recommendations and consultation with judges, competitors and IRF Member Organizations.
    2. Maintaining current rules and regulations in an easy-to-access format that is available to the general public on the IRF website or through other media.
  3. Assessing bids for World and Continental Rafting Championships and make recommendations to the Board of Directors. This involves, but is not limited to:
    1. Creating, revising and maintaining bid documents.
    2. Assessing and comparing bids.
    3. Checking bids for accuracy and thoroughness.
    4. Taking part in venue assessment trips.
    5. Making final recommendations.
    6. Ensuring that bid contracts are fulfilled to the standard expected by the IRF and its members and associates.
  • be a representative of one of our national federations or an officer of the BOD
  • have sufficient time and experience with international events in some capacity
  • have a good understanding of the race rules and the Bylaws that apply to S&C
  • be capable of understanding and considering the needs of all national federations and athletes
  • be capable of working cooperatively in a committee environment
  • be able to effectively and clearly communicate in the English language  (or have an interpreter for this)
  • be willing to follow directions and stay on task
  • answer emails and participate in committee decisions in a timely manner

Committee members:

Eric Boudreau photo

Eric Boudreau (Chair)

Joe Willis Jones photo

Joseph Willis Jones

Sue Liell-Cock photo

Sue Liell-Cock

Pieter Bekkers photo

Pieter Bekkers

Peter Micheler photo

Peter Micheler

Sean Clarke photo

Sean Clarke

Kianoosh Mehrabi photo

Kianoosh Mehrabi

Goran Lolic photo

Goran Lolic

Tim Marshall photo

Tim Marshall

Yuni Yunita photo

Yuni Yunita

Graham Maifredi photo

Graham Maifredi

Bert Kanora photo

Bert Kanora

Aleksei Shirokov photo

Aleksei Shirokov

Gunther Atem photo

Gunther Atem

No current photo

Taku Ikeda

Martin Procházka

Martin Procházka

Jean-Claude Razel

Rado Orokocky

Rado Orokocky

No current photo

Sue Norman

Johanna Arguello photo

Johana Arguello

Aleš Danek photo

Aleš Danek

Dejan Puzovic

Sub-committees: