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Rafter tests positive at WRC 2015
Anti Doping

Rafter tests positive at WRC 2015

Paul Roozendaal, who is captain of the New Zealand Open Men’s team, tested positive for substances that are listed on the WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) prohibited list after the Downriver discipline during the 2015 World Rafting Championships in Indonesia. It was found that he had levels of Pseudoephedrine and Cathine in his urine that

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Personal responsibility with river safety

Rafting season 2016 has already started with some national competitions. We have already witnessed flips and paddlers falling out of rafts, which is an integral part of this sport, but more nationals, EC, ERC and WRC are still ahead of us with some new rivers and some new challenges. So, the question is – how

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First positive doping test in IRF history
Anti Doping

First positive doping test in IRF history

By Michael Lindberg, Head of IRF’s Anti-Doping Committee The result of a doping sample carried out on the 17th of May 2015 during the National Rafting Championships in Serbia was an adverse analytical finding showing the presence of a prohibited substance. The doping sample belonged to the 19-year old Serbian athlete, Bogdan Ribaric, who was tested

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Points for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc … needing a change?

When racing Sprint, Head to Head, Slalom and Downriver the points distribution is weighted quite heavily to the top three teams, with the winning team getting the giants share. It has been proposed to reduce that distribution so that the overall points will be closer and make the overall title more exciting. This is what

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Youth age groups – U19 only – 2016 onwards

From 2016 onwards there will only be one Youth age group – and that is U19. At the IRF Extraordinary Congress in Brazil in 2014 the decision was made to drop the U23 division from 2016 onwards. So the question that still needed to be answered was whether an U21 division was needed to replace

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How to fit a PFD properly

Palm – gear for paddlers, has put this great video together showing how to ensure you have put on yours and other’s PFDs properly. A three step guide: 1 Undo all straps, zips and buckles. 2 Put on the PFD, and fasten the zips and buckles. 3 Tighten straps, working upwards from the waist.  

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R4 and R6 in Europe – it’s complicated!

There are two Euro Champs this year – R4 and R6. In previous years there has been only one with both R4 and R6 together. But with the new divisions of U19, U23 and Masters this would have meant that each country could send 32 teams to the Euro Champs (4 divisions x men and

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Seminar on drugs in sport instead of dope tests at WRC 2013

Due to unforeseen circumstances the IRF will no longer be doing drug tests at the 2013 World Rafting Champs. “This is extremely disappointing for the IRF as this had been a goal set for quite some time. Its an important step to take if we want rafting to be taken seriously in the sporting world.”

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Race Rules – Teams and Competitors

For A and B level races competitors need to comply to a few rules so that they can compete –  They need to be members of their national rafting organisation. They can only represent one country in any one year. If their passport is not the same as the country they race for they must

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