Race ResultsWC Silokek
Results: MM, U19M, OM, OW, U23M, U23W
Ibar, Serbia 2019
Results; Video; Photos
EC 2019 Series
Results: R6 Overall; R4 Overall
EC Devil’s Stream
Results; Photos; Video;
EC British Open
Results; Photos
Canada Nationals
Results; Photos: -1-, -2-, -3-. Video H2H.
Pre-WRC, Ziyuan
Results: Men, Women; Photos: Trng, SP/OC, SL, H2H, DR; Videos: D1, D2, D3, D4;
ERC Vrbas, Bosnia
Results and media
EC Results so far
R6: OM; OW. R4: OM; OW.
EC Trnavka
Results: Sprint; Slalom. Photos.
WRC 2019, Tully
Results, Photos, press releases, etc
EC Wildalpen
Results: OM, U23M, OW; Photos
EC Priboj, Serbia
Results; Photos
EC Nottingham
Results, Photos: -1-, -2-, -3-. H2H Video
EC Romania, Dracula Race
Results; Photos
WRC 2018
All results
more archived Race Results
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By IRF admin, on December 13th, 2019  Dry bag
Such a handy item to have in many places, not just on river trips – like going hiking in the rain, canyoning, boating, beaching. Read about five surprising uses of dry bags from managing your laundry, or as a pillow, managing cables and tech stuff, and staying in shape! Take a look at some options that Aquapac offer.
 Throw rope
This is an essential peace of gear for a rafter. Beside being critical for rescue and hauling wrapped rafts off rocks it has many other uses as well – clothes line, pillow, to hang sun or rain shelters on. If you’re not sure which one to get, read our article here to find which one would be best suited.
IRF Gear
Give someone some IRF branded gear for their next trip to the World or European Rafting Championships. Great for IRF Official’s and supporters.
There is a large range of sizes and colours, as well as styles. Plus some other gear like bags, bibs, for baby’s, organic tops, long sleeve tops, and beanies.
Take a look at the IRF online store:
 Bottles / flasks / mugs
There are some great options out there in the insulated bottle / flask / mug category these days – all designed to keep your drinks at the temperature you’d like them to be at! Keep that beer cool! Try the Keg Cap which can extend the life of the beer for up to five days.
Solar chargers
Its time to avoid using disposable batteries and move over to solar chargers. Here is a site that gives you a comprehensive break down on what is out there: www.outsidepursuits.com/best-solar-charger/.
Power bank
 So handy to have for anyone with a Smart phone, and especially someone who is away from power points on a regular basis. With phones now being photo and video cameras, plus the essential connection in times of emergencies, all rafters should have power banks to ensure they have battery life when they need it. Read reviews about PC Worlds best 2019 power banks – the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro being rated as the best portable power bank.
 Peli case or smart phone cases
A long time favourite of any rafter, Pelican cases keeps special gear safe and dry inside these virtually indestructible cases. A lifetime warranty comes with one of these and you have over 100 to choose from.
They also sell waterproof smart phone cases that also deal with being regularly dropped!
Comfy, breathable, quick drying underwear
 Yeah, getting underwear as a gift sucks, but being able to wear something else other than bathers the whole river trip is very tempting! The ExOfficio Give-N-Go Underwear is highly breathable and quick-drying, perfect for river trips! Check out a review.
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #rafting #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By IRF admin, on December 13th, 2019 The 2019 World Cup Series saw only 2 events this year due to unforeseen circumstances causing the World Cup in Georgia to be cancelled. The first was in China at the Pre-Worlds, and the second was in Indonesia on the Silokek River recently.
 The World Cup Series is aimed at teams at a club level, particularly at teams that don’t qualify for the annual World Rafting Champs or just enjoy having fun in rafting competitions. Teams do not have to qualify, they can just enter and get out there and enjoy the challenge of new rivers, in different countries, meet new paddlers and gain essential experience to improve their chances for future selections.
The Pre-Worlds/World Cup Series event was held on the Wu Pai River, Ziyuan, Guilin, Guangxi Province, China from the 21 to 27 August. There was a total of 30 teams racing at the Pre-Worlds, 15 in the Open Men category and 15 in the Open Women. Teams came from far and wide as China extended their usually hospitality, with 17 countries being represented. Read the full summary of the event: Wupai 2019 – ready for WRC 2020
Links for WC China/ Pre-Worlds:
 The Silolek Geofest Rafting World Cup 2019 in Batanag Kuantan Sijunjung was held from the 10 to the 14 of November.
Indonesia has a very large raft racing population and this event had a total of 45 teams racing, spread out through most of the categories.
Three countries were in attendance, the visiting nations being Malaysia and Czech Republic. The Czech Masters won their category, but in the Open Men the usually dominant Czechs didn’t have it their own way, being beaten to 4th place by local Indonesian teams, and closely followed by relatively recent new-comers, Malaysia who are training up Judges and making a big effort to join the international raft racing world.
Results: MM, U19M, OM, OW, U23M, U23W
2019 World Cup Series winners
 In the Open Women category it is the Open Women Indonesia team that have won the series with a total of 992 points, having won H2H, Slalom and Downriver, and a 3rd in Sprint at the Silolek World Cup event.
Second was Czech 1 with a total of 964 points made up from winning the H2H and Downriver, and a 2nd in Slalom and Sprint at the Pre-Worlds WC event.
Third in the series was Russia 1 who won the Sprint and Slalom at the Pre-Worlds and took 2nd there in the H2H and Downriver, with 956 points.
 In the Open Men it was a tie on 972 points between the World Champions, Team Brotas/Alaya of Brazil, and DKI Jakarta of Indonesia. Brazil achieved that with wins in Sprint, Slalom and Downriver and a 3rd in H2H, and Team DKI Jakarta achieved it with wins in Sprint, H2H and Downriver and a 2nd in Slalom.
Third in the Series in the Open Men category was Team RGS with 917 points, gaining that with a win in the Slalom, 2nd in H2H and 3rds in Sprint and Downriver.
Overall Results of the 2019 World Cup Series: Open Women; Open Men
Congratulations to all the teams that took part! Enjoy your end of year and hope see you all at the 2020 World Cup Series!
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #rafting #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By Sean, on December 10th, 2019  By Zachary Collier
The rivers of Bhutan were first explored by groups of international kayakers in the late 1990s. They discovered some phenomenal runs for both rafts and kayaks ranging from Class I to V+. In the 2000s these explorers brought groups of kayakers to Bhutan for the first commercial whitewater trips.
Bhutan’s first local river guides were originally trained by kayakers. As rafting became more common, these guides trained in Nepal and were mentored by Nepali rafting guides who worked in Bhutan during the busy season.
The past decade has seen a steady increase in the number of international visitors to Bhutan for rafting, kayaking, and/or SUP trips. My company, Northwest Rafting Company, offers multi-day rafting+culture adventures to this Himalayan nation for people who love whitewater. At the same time, day trip offerings on the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu (chhu is the Dzongkha word for river) for the average visitor to Bhutan has exploded. I remember bringing my guests to the put-in for the Mo Chhu in 2011 and not seeing another raft. These days the put-in for this popular commercial trip is full of rafts, guides, gear, and vehicles.
There are now six rafting companies in Bhutan. Most of them do trips on the Class II Mo Chhu in the Punakha Valley, but they are starting to branch out to many of the nearby Class III, IV, and V rivers. As this industry grows, Bhutanese guides are looking for increased professional training.
In order to assist, we began a fundraiser so that Bhutan’s most experienced river guides, Thinley and Chencho, can take an IRF Instructor Course in Oregon next spring. We also hope to raise enough funds that IRF Assessor Mark Hirst can make a trip to Bhutan next fall to observe the first IRF course taught by Thinley and Chencho and approve them as full IRF instructors.
This training will allow Thinley and Chencho to certify other guides in Bhutan as IRF guides and trip leaders and raise the level of training throughout the Bhutanese guiding community. Please check out our Indiegogo fundraiser and consider making a donation. You’ll be helping this exquisite Himalayan kingdom [or ‘nation’] build its economy and share its rivers with the world.
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #rafting #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By IRF admin, on November 22nd, 2019  Camel White Water Challenge 1996, Zambezi River By Mark Hirst
At some point in our raft guiding careers we will all experience a flip! This article aims to highlight some of the key points associated with flipping and will hopefully deliver a few tips to aid in the recovery of a flipped raft along with its crew. Let’s focus on the 3 main areas of a flip:
BEFORE
One of the subjects often neglected during a safety demonstration is the flip. Raft guides often brush over the subject and only offer a few verbal pieces of information with no visual demonstration. This in turn can lead to a messy clean up as the crew did not receive enough information on what to do during a flip scenario. Continue reading The magical 4 letter F word!!
By IRF admin, on November 21st, 2019
 Police and ex-combatants practice rafting together in San Vicente del Caguán. UN mission in Colombia. Credit: www.elespectador.com Colombia’s Rafting For Peace raft team made a big impression on all who attended the 2019 World Rafting Champs in Australia earlier this year (see Rifles for paddles).
They were touched by their amazing story and admired the strength these paddlers showed in not only taking on learning to raft, but to also step away from their previous lives and make a difference for their future and by so doing, inspiring so many others.
Recently this team and their village of Miravalle in San Vicente del Caguán hosted the Colombian National Rafting Championship on the Pato River. This area was previously a strategic rearguard of the Farc. This event was also a selection for the IRF’s 2020 World Rafting Championships which are to be held in China in August. The top teams in each category will be invited to compete at that event.
 Planting trees to offset carbon – Sports for Climate Action. Picture credit: www.elespectador.com At this championship there were police and ex-combatants, who were former enemies, paddling in a team together and competing.
“I can’t explain how symbolic it is to have ex-combatants and the Public Force paddling together, and with the community organizing an event like this.” said Mauricio Artiñano, member of the Verification Mission of the United Nations Organization.
Former combatant, Hermides Linares, was in a team with two policemen and four more composed another team in the men’s open category. However, the teams from San Gil where this sport is strongest, dominated. There were a total of 11 Open Men’s teams. In the Open Women Lorena Leiva, also a former combatant, lead the only women’s team. There were 3 Under 19 Men’s teams and two Master Men’s teams – a total of 17 teams!
 The coffee served at the event was produced by ex-militants of the Farc, as were the medals, which were made out of reused wood by a collective called Artisans for Peace.
As part of their reinstatement process, these ex-combatants started Caguán Expeditions which is a tour operator in San Vicente del Caguán, in Caquetá. Their aim is to promote tourism through rafting.
 To see more about these amazing peace ambassadors and the results from the event:
www.facebook.com/RemandoporlaPaz/
To read more about this in Spanish: www.elespectador.com/colombia2020/pais/
By IRF admin, on November 20th, 2019  There are a LOT of reasons why this event should be on your bucket list!
Just look at the prizes – a bungi jump off the bridge for first place, a helicopter ride over the falls for second place, a bush drive for third place and a breakfast amongst the elephants for the best flip in Oblivion! And what do you have to do to earn those? Go rafting on the Zambezi!
There are 4 Events with the first 3 earning points for the Overall win, and the 4th having a separate prize.
Event 1 – ZAMBEZI TEST OF THE BEST
Timed race from the Boiling Pot below Victoria Falls to the eddy below rapid #4 “Morning Glory”. Rafts set off at one minute intervals, times are converted into points. Race water distance: 2300m.
Event 2 – ZAMBEZI LE’ MANS SPRINT
Mass start from the pool below Rapid # 5 to the pool above rapid #7. One team member to touch attainment point on river bank at finish. There is a strong element of moving on the rocks here to reach attainment point. Team finishing positions and times accrue points. Race water distance: 700m
One raft at a time down the course with attainment areas, start at Rapid #12 pool. Finish-jailhouse eddy Rapid #13. A timed race with time penalties for missing attainment targets, team positions and times accrue points. Race water distance: 900m with attainments excluded
The Overall winners were Team “Gravity” who defended their title in fine form jumped off the bridge. It was Team “Belgian Chips” who took second and enjoyed that helicopter flip!
 Event 4 – ZAMBEZI SURF & TURF
Best surf in the iconic rapid #18. To be judged in the Waterfront Bar by the festival goers. Not scored in the overall event. And the winners were “Refugees of Trump”- take a look at their winning flip ….
By IRF admin, on November 19th, 2019  With the IRF’s Guide Training and Education System growing so strongly at the moment a new committee has recently been appointed to help take the system to even higher standards.
This new committee is being led by Gaspar Goncz who is the Chair of the GTE Com and has been driving the system since May 2009 and is based in Hungary. New energy has recently come into the system from Mark Hirst who is an IRF Assessor, an advanced Rescue 3 training provider and First Aid Instructor. Mark has taken up the role as Secretary of the GTE and is uniquely positioned in that he travels far and wide therefore gaining knowledge of the rafting industry in all corners of the world which is necessary when working with a system like the IRF’s. He is based in Finland.
The other committee members are Joe Willie Jones who is also the IRF President and based in Chile, Pieter Bekkers who is on the IRF BOD and based in the Netherlands, Andrew Kellett based in South Africa, Gabriel Cote Vailquette based in Canada, Eneko Yarza based in the Basque region, Neil Newton Taylor based in Austria, Alex (Pongo) Baker based in Costa Rica, Nim Bahadur Magar based in Nepal, Tim Marshall based in New Zealand, and Graham (Fredi) Maifredi based in Australia. Behind the scenes we have Raewyn Larcombe who has been administrator to the system for many years (contact).
The new energy in the GTE System has taken it to new levels and we expect it to become even more dominant world wide and we hope to see it being accepted by even more governments as the official system for all river guides.
By Sean, on November 7th, 2019  Presenting to an audience of over 200 from over 20 nations at the inaugural IRF World White Water Rafting Summit, Ian Ponce, Programme Officer of the UNFCCC Programme Secretariat, shared the five key principles of the UNFCC programme and introduced the Sports for Climate Change initiative.
Ian gave an overview of progress to date and highlighted that the IRF will take a lead as one of the two co-chairs of the working group for Principle 5: Advocate for climate action through communication.
The International Rafting Federation (IRF) is one of the initial leading sports federations to be signatories to this United Nations initiative. Fellow international federations (IFs) committed to this Climate Change initiative are the International Olympic Committee, Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), World Sailing, International Ski Federation (FIS), International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), 2020 Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and World Surf League (WSL), amongst dozens of others.
The presentation followed on from IRF representative Sean Clarke’s attendance at the first working meeting of the UNFCC Sports for Climate Change in Lausanne, Switzerland in September, hosted by the International Olympic Committee at the Olympic Museum. The meeting was well attended by leading IFs where the ground work was set on defining the remit of each of the working groups to take on each of the Five Principles.
The IRF is committed to green and clean events and has led in the past with the first ever certified carbon neutral sports world championship with their 2011 World Rafting Championship in Costa Rica. The IRF are taking bold steps and working with event organisers to ensure that all their future World and Continental level championships abide by the ethos of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and ask that all event organisers commit to being carbon neutral through actions rather than paid carbon credits.
Changes are proposed to the IRF Race Rules for 2020 to introduce mandatory sustainability obligations on participants in addition to host organisers. The IRF are committed to saving our planet. Rafters can be the forefront for climate action. They see the devastating impacts of climate change every time they get on a river. It’s time to come together with all other sports and share experiences and take positive actions to limit or reverse the impact that humanity has on our planet.
#OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #ClimateAction #Sports #Sport4Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateAmbition #Sustainability
By Sean, on October 26th, 2019  GAISF Membership Manager Davide Delfini and IRF President Joe Willis Jones after a successful meeting during the 2019 SportAccord Convention. At the International Rafting Federation Congress in Miyoshi City, Japan in 2017, our national rafting federation members voted unanimously that the IRF should continue to pursue its dream of taking rafting to the Olympic Games. In pursuit of this dream, the Congress also agreed that the IRF must finalise the work needed to apply for recognition by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) at the earliest possible date.
GAISF (formerly known as SportAccord) is the gateway organisation through which Olympic recognition is managed – no International Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) without first becoming a GAISF member. Meeting GAISF membership requirements is a rigorous task, requiring that the IRF supply detailed, substantiated proof that we are the international governing body of rafting sport. This proof can only be gained by many years of following GAISF policy guidelines prior to applying for membership.
At the time our application was submitted, there were 42 requirements that had to be met. This included hosting multiple years of World Rafting Championships and having a record of several years of WADA certified anti-doping testing of our competitors, among the other many requirements. GAISF does not put time limits on the review of membership applications – the review process can continue indefinitely based on multiple factors which are outside of our control.
Delays to our application occurred because GAISF had changes in their administration team due to the untimely death of GAISF President Patrick Baumann in October 2018. Additionally, a new online membership application system with additional evidentiary requirements was launched. These changes required us to restart and update our application. Following discussions at the 2019 annual SportAccord Conference between IRF President Jones, and GAISF, and with the IOC and the United Nations through current sport wide actions on climate change which the IRF have been involved in, GAISF have acknowledged our commitment to membership and have recognised that our interest in membership has been longstanding for many years.
GAISF have informed us they will review our application in October 2019. We are expecting news of the application in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we continue with all our work in raft racing, guide training and education, sustainability, conservation, and building the river family across the globe.
As always, the International Rafting Federation is, was and always will be the only legitimate governing body for rafting sport around the world. We will rightly defend our claim as such. We make no false promises of Olympic fast tracking – sports for the 2020 and 2024 Games have been revealed and rafting is not amongst them. We hope for positive news on our GAISF application but in the meantime, we continue to take positive steps in the global recognition of rafting and ask you to join us in the journey ahead.
I am. You are. We are. IRF
#OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily #AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By Sean, on October 18th, 2019 
Last Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, Sharon Day, showed her support for improving safety in the rafting industry by going rafting on the Pacuare River during the World White Water Rafting Summit finale.
Ambassador Day was one of 207 people from over 20 nations from across the globe who joined together under the banner message of “One World, One River, One Family” for the closing event of the inaugural IRF World White Water Rafting Summit navigating the world-class rapids of the Pacuare River.
The ambassador’s participation is especially poignant since tragedy struck in October 2018, when four U.S. citizens and their Costa Rican river guide lost their lives during a whitewater rafting trip in extreme conditions on the Naranjo River in Quepos. Since that incident, the Costa Rican rafting industry has united to train and certify river guides to international standards by the IRF, to adopt a nationwide code of ethics for rafting guides and companies, to join an IRF pilot project to certify commercial rafting operators, and other measures to improve safety standards.
Tweeting on October 13th, Ambassador Day said: “At the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica, we work with the ICT and the Ministry of Health on regulations, inspections and security to increase the safety of adventure tourism for U.S. citizens and all tourists in Costa Rica. I participated in the first World Rafting Summit, in which we analyzed issues such as the best security practices in equipment and rafting.”
“This is a positive message that the government of the United States is supportive of rafting in Costa Rica. That it is not dangerous as long as safety measures are followed. She enjoyed herself with a big smile the whole time,” said Honorary IRF President Rafael Gallo, who joined Ambassador Day on the Pacuare River trip, along with IRF President Joe Willis Jones and other members of the Summit organising committee.
#OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily #AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #guide #raft #rafting #raftguide #whitewater #rapids #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
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Photo Albums
 ERC 2019, Slalom  WRC 2019, Downriver  WRC 2018, H2H  WRC 2017, Slalom  WRC 2016, Downriver  WRC 2015, Citarik River, West Java, Indonesia, (Masters Women, Slalom, 1st, Czech Republic) 
WRC 2014, Downriver
 WRC 2014, Sprint  WRC 2013, H2H  WRC 2013, Slalom  ERC 2014 |
With the IRF’s Guide Training and Education System growing so strongly at the moment a new committee has recently been appointed to help take the system to even higher standards.
Presenting to an audience of over 200 from over 20 nations at the inaugural IRF World White Water Rafting Summit, Ian Ponce, Programme Officer of the UNFCCC Programme Secretariat, shared the five key principles of the UNFCC programme and introduced the Sports for Climate Change initiative.
