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By Sean, on February 20th, 2019  Futaleufú Mayor signs the IRF World Rafting Cup partnership agreement as the Regional Tourism Secretary looks on It gives us great pleasure to officially announce that in March 2020 the IRF will once again pack our bags and travel to the legendary whitewater of Chile’s Futaleufú river to host an historic 20th anniversary rafting event – the 2020 IRF Invitational World Rafting Cup!
In 2000, the IRF organised the historic Camel White Water Challenge on the Futaleufú river in Patagonia Chile – a race that stands out in the minds of all who attended as one of the greatest race events in the history of rafting sport. Since that time, rafting athletes from all corners of the globe have placed the Futaleufú near the top of their ‘wish list’ for where they would most like the IRF to organise our next world-class rafting event.
In 2017, the IRF Administration began discussing plans with the Municipality of Futaleufú for a repeat visit. We are now very excited to announce that the IRF President recently met on the riverbanks of the Futaleufú with all relevant bodies to sign an historic partnership agreement. The agreement boasts the signatures of the Futaleufú Municipality, the Los Lagos Regional Government, the Chilean Ministry of Sport, the Chilean Ministry of Tourism, and the Chilean Ministry of Economy, among others; all pledged to make the Futaleufú dream a reality.
Continue reading #AreYouReady to race on the legendary Futaleufú River?
By Sean, on February 18th, 2019 
If you thought getting your team together was tough for training, try getting everyone together when it’s not just one side of the country to the other but from three countries! This week we meet the team from Costa Rica looking to bring home medals at this year’s IRF World Rafting Championship in Tully, Australia. Those in Costa Rica have been getting together and training with a coach and competing in the national eliminations for R4. Others have been doing individual training to get ready physically… if not able to get on the water then on bended knee next to the bathtub paddling!! The plan is to meet in April in Costa Rica and train together on the river.
What projects have the team been working on?
Las Machacas is an organisation created by Carol Vargas and promoted by all team members and dedicated to teach and promote rafting among women of any age in Costa Rica. Our goal is to empower women to take risk and work together as a team. Machacas has been around for 20 years
being the first women’s ambassadors throughout the world representing Costa Rica.
As happens everywhere in the world, the building of hydroelectric dams on the rivers, we are working on raising awareness in Turrialba, Costa Rica regarding the latest proposed project of two privately owned hydroelectric dams on the Bonilla River by the company H. Solis, the brother of a former president of Costa Rica. The area is part of a national park system and no permits have been issued by the local municipality of Turrialba. We are hoping to raise enough awareness to stop it as we did with stopping the new dam proposal on the Pacuare a few years ago. Continue reading We are river family – meet Team Costa Rica Masters Women
By Sean, on February 16th, 2019  Pato River in the background, Rafael Gallo (front) poses with ex-guerrillas Duberney (far left) and Hermides (far right). Centre are Costa Rican guides Max Solano (left) and Roy Obando A Costa Rican rafting mission led by the company Rios Tropicales and the United Nations traveled to Colombia to meet with a group of ex-guerrillas from the FARC. Teaching them to tame the rapids of the Pato River, in complete peace, was the reason for the singular adventure.
By Alexánder Sánchez
It’s a quiet and a particularly cool night. A pair of crickets hum through the bushes and the river roars imposingly through the mountains. All is good without bullets, all is good without anyone dead. It is a quiet evening in the heart of the Caquetá jungle, a Colombian territory traditionally dominated by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (known by the Spanish acronym FARC).
Suddenly, a peasant voice sharply cuts the calm and from the first strum of his guitar to a group of Costa Ricans, waiting quietly and expectantly, their soul breaks… “… Today I tell you, brother, I no longer shoot, for the peace of my country, I left my good rifle … Already the bombers cannot be heard coming and the noises at night let me sleep … I am well accommodated, I smile and even talk to soldiers (military) … And my family knows about me …”
Before a softened and “goosebumped” audience, this is how young Freyi sings it. His musical confession portrays his stormy past, but above all, his hopeful present. Freyi is no longer a guerrilla; now he is a powerful rafting guide.
Continue reading Exchanging rifles for paddles: Ticos and ex-guerillas of the FARC
By Sean, on February 16th, 2019 
Travelling to Australia to compete in the IRF World Rafting Championship this May? Have you checked your visa requirements yet? Most European countries and Commonwealth countries don’t need a letter from the organiser and can apply for a simple tourist visa before travelling.
For those needing a visa letter, the event organisers can assist in providing this letter (only after they have received your registration form).
Specific Australian visa details for teams attending IRF WRC 2019
General Australian visa details for sports teams
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #StrongerTogether #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By Sean, on February 15th, 2019  Your action is needed NOW!
Follow the cause, share and promote the campaign – we need to protect one of the planet’s most beautiful yet endangered rivers.
Plans are afoot to recommence the building of a dam in the Batoka Gorge of the Zambezi River. If completed, this will wipe out the major white water section from the base of Victoria Falls, ultimately destroying the livelihoods of those who live and work on the river, the villages that rely on tourism and the local plants and wildlife that will be decimated through the construction and ultimate damming.
The International Rafting Federation is taking the lead on this campaign with full support and backing from International Rivers, Save The Zambezi and local companies.
At this stage we need you to sign up as an interested party for the consultation and also to contribute any funds you can to assist us in the administration of this campaign.
www.gofundme.com/q63u3-save-the-zambezi-river
#AreYouReady #damthedams #stopthedams #RiverFamily #StrongerTogether #RaftersAreAwesome #Zambezi #savethezambezi #zambia #zimbabwe #victoriafalls #whitewater #rapids
By Sean, on February 14th, 2019
By Sean, on February 14th, 2019 As the deadlines for entering into the 2019 World Rafting Champs in Australia are drawing near we bring you some details you need to know.
 Team Entry deadlines!
- 15th February 2019 – for any teams who require an invoice to to pay the entry fee. Registration form AND invoice details must be in by this date
- 1st March 2019 – for all teams NOT requiring an invoice to pay
- 8th March 2019 – ALL entry fees MUST be paid by this date
- Late Entries may be accepted on a case by case basis with addition of a Late Fee
- Registration Form
What’s included in the Entry Fee?
Continue reading IRF World Rafting Championship – what’s in it for me?
By Sean, on February 11th, 2019
 Training as a team in a country with eleven contiguous time zones is no easy feat. The current Russian Open Women’s team is spread across the country meaning meeting to train involves travelling by train for 4 or 5 days or up to a 6 hour flight. With such distances between them, training sessions involve meticulous planning and dedication from each team member. This week we meet these dedicated women planning to win medals in Australia at the IRF World Rafting Championship in May. We asked Team Captain, Katerina Kozhanova who is heading to Australia as the Russian Open Women’s team.
Who is in the team for Australia and have we met them before?
Unfortunately, the Under 23 Women’s team were unable to compete for Australia but that has meant most of the U23W team who competed in Argentina, are able to compete in the Open Women team for Australia.
The team for Australia will consist on three members of the U23 Women team, one masters woman and two new to world rafting championship athletes.
Our team has three youth, one master woman and two new to the team. Together we are open women!
- Kozhanova Katerina (47 years old) – coach, athlete, left back. I train a lot, perform in competitions: skiing, marathon, triathlon. I work as a coach
- Kozhanova Valentina (20 years old) – works in the center of the World Universiade. Athlete, right forward
- Chugunova Tamara (20 years old) – works as a children’s trainer. Athlete, right back
- Malakhova Vera (24 years old) – coach of girls up to 19. Athlete, left forward
- Mid-new athletes who will participate in world competitions for the first time
Russia Open Women are our River Family. Are You?
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #RiverFamily #StrongerTogether #WeAreIRF
We’re looking for more stories of River Family – if you have a story to tell, email Sean with your story and photos.
By IRF admin, on February 8th, 2019 The IRF’s 2019 Congress will be held in the evenings of the 13 and 15 of May, at the WRC 2019 Event Head Quarters in Tully, Queensland, Australia.
 Please Note: Proposals to be put before Congress:
Who can put proposals in? Each IRF Member (Full, not Provisional), IRF Executive Officers, and IRF Committee Chairs have the right to submit proposals (which must include detail with reasons and supporting documents) and reports to the Ordinary IRF Congress.
Authorized proposals: Proposals originating from an IRF Member must be signed by their president or authorized representative.
Provisional Proposals: To ensure all members have sufficient time to examine and discuss all proposals Provisional Proposals are now requested ahead of time – these need not be fully detailed yet but are to give the Exec Com enough information so that they can decide whether it complies with IRF Bylaw requirements (more detail below) and so can be included in the Agenda:
- Provisional proposals that request changes to the IRF’s Bylaws must be in the hands of the IRF Secretary General no later than the 13 February.
- Other provisional proposals must be in the hands of the IRF Secretary General no later than the 28 February. Any proposal received after this but before the 7 April will be considered individually and if it is deemed necessary and there is enough time for Exec Com to fully consider it, then it will be included. No proposals will be considered if received after the 7 April.
Procedure after receipt of a provisional proposal – the Executive Committee will determine if it is suitable to add to the Congress agenda. In this capacity the Executive Committee may:
- Ask for additional information or clarification;
- Return a proposal for revision;
- Reject an unsuitable proposal.
Provisional proposals may NOT be included in the Congress agenda if they:
- Do NOT fall under the jurisdiction of the IRF Congress;
Are not clearly written in the English language;
Are not submitted in the correct format;
Are repetitive of existing Bylaws, rules or policies;
Are deemed to be offensive, illegal, or might jeopardize the name, reputation, or standing of the IRF.
Please contact IRF Admin if you have any questions.
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #StrongerTogether #WeAreOne #WeAreIRF
By Sean, on February 4th, 2019 
This week we meet R.E.D. (Retired, Extremely Dangerous), the GB1 Masters Men team hoping to make their mark at their first IRF World Rafting Championship. The team came together to compete in the British Rafting selections in March 2016 as Lee Valley Paddlesports Club Masters Men. They didn’t make GB status that time so trained hard and got selected as GB2 for the IRF R6 European Rafting Championship in Georgia 2017.
Maybe their name change to R.E.D. (Retired Extremely Dangerous) helped with their determination to win but also the delivery of a British Rafting Bull Raft made it so much easier to train regularly. You may have seen them compete last year in the IRF R4 European Champs in Slovakia. This year they return having conquered the selection event and now compete in R6 as GB1 Masters Men for 2019.
Continue reading We are river family – meet R.E.D.
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Photo Albums
 WRC 2014, Downriver  WRC 2014, Sprint  WRC 2013, H2H  WRC 2013, Slalom  WRC 2013, Slalom  ERC 2014  ERC 2014  World Cup Canada 2012 |
Your action is needed NOW!
Team Entry deadlines!
Training as a team in a country with eleven contiguous time zones is no easy feat. The current Russian Open Women’s team is spread across the country meaning meeting to train involves travelling by train for 4 or 5 days or up to a 6 hour flight. With such distances between them, training sessions involve meticulous planning and dedication from each team member. This week we meet these dedicated women planning to win medals in Australia at the IRF World Rafting Championship in May. We asked Team Captain, Katerina Kozhanova who is heading to Australia as the Russian Open Women’s team.
Please Note: Proposals to be put before Congress:
