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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.
By Sean, on February 2nd, 2019
 One of the first teams to register for the IRF World Rafting Championship in Tully, Australia this coming May, River Face have been growing strength on strength each year with an impressive medal tally of Bronze (Sprint), Silver (Head-to-Head), Gold (Downriver) and Overall Silver at last year’s Championship in Argentina. So do you want to know who you’re up against in the competition? This week we’re meeting the Japanese Open Women’s team – The River Face.
Who is in the team for Australia and have we met them before?
Four of the team are the same team who competed in Argentina.
- Masayo Abe – front left – raft guide – paddling for 14 years
- Hiromi Asai – front right – physical therapist – paddling for 12 years
- Rie Funadi – middle right – raft guide – paddling for 6years
- Yuri Yasunaga middle left – raft guide – paddling for 6years
And we have two friends joining us to make up the six:
- Yuki Saito – back right – raft guide – paddling for 22 years
- Takae Mori – back left – raft guide – paddling for 20 years
With this six, we are hoping to win in Australia 😃
What’s your training plan been?
We all have “day jobs” so we have to train early morning before work starts.
Following your successes in Argentina, have you made any changes to your training plan?
We’re still doing the same on water training but have increased our personal training time.
Which teams are you most looking forward to competing against?
All teams! Especially Great Britain, Russia, Czech, and New Zealand.
What is your prediction for winners in the Open Men and Open women categories?
Japan! We hope.
The River Face 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 Sean, on January 19th, 2019 
Sadly yet another of the world’s greatest rivers is under threat from daming. This is not a new threat – impact assessments were halted in 2015 but the project has now been restarted and now is the time for you to get involved and help prevent the loss of a natural beauty, white water enthusiast destination and prevent drastic impacts on the local tourism economy.
Plans are afoot to re-initiate the impact assessments of building a dam in the Batoka Gorge on the Zambezi River. Plans effectively mean a dam built 47 km downstream of Victoria Falls will wipe out most of the rapids many have come to know, love and revere most of the way up to Victoria Falls.
An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) must be completed, and environmental authorisation granted for the project by both the Zambian and Zimbabwean environmental regulatory authorities. In addition to these requirements, the ESIA specific to this project will need to be undertaken to align with international good practice guidelines such as the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Standards and International Hydropower Association (IHA) sustainability protocols.
Now is the time to make it known if you are or will be affected by the dam. Please spread the message wide and far – all potential stakeholders and those affected need to be in the know so that their voices can be heard.
The linked document is the official communication. Section 4 contains the contact details in order to be added to the stakeholder list. Add your name to the list of stakeholders and ensure your voice is heard!
Batoka Dam Interim feedback letter to stakeholders
Add your name to the stakeholder list: batokagorgehes@erm.com
#damthedams #batokagorge #zambezi #zimbabwe #zambia #notinmyname
Follow the Facebook page: Save the Zambezi
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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:
One of the first teams to register for the IRF World Rafting Championship in Tully, Australia this coming May, River Face have been growing strength on strength each year with an impressive medal tally of Bronze (Sprint), Silver (Head-to-Head), Gold (Downriver) and Overall Silver at last year’s Championship in Argentina. So do you want to know who you’re up against in the competition? This week we’re meeting the Japanese Open Women’s team – 
