ATR First: Surfing Chief Rejects Canoe Claim for Stand Up Paddling

(ATR) The president of the International Surfing Association tells Around the Rings that history is on the side of surfing in the conflict over which federation can claim stand up paddling as a discipline.

"We really want to solve this matter," Fernando Aguerre tells ATR about the clash with International Canoe Federation, which seeks to include the sport under its control.

"The ISA has a historical record of organizing SUP events. We have over 700 certified coaches. The ISA recognized SUP in 2008 and in 2012 we organized the first world championships," Aguerre says.

"This was all unchallenged. We even organized multi sport events with SUP, including the South American Beach Games and the Bolivarian Games," he says.

The International Canoe Federation launched its efforts to bring SUP under its wing in 2016. Fed president Jose Perurena believes that the use of the paddle for propulsion makes SUP a canoe sport. He also insists that the size of the boards makes them a vessel worthy of being called a canoe.

"You cannot call a surfboard a canoe," objects Aquerre. He says the ICF claim that boards for SUP are up to five meters in length is not accurate. The ISA leader says racers are competing on boards no more than four meters long.

Aguerre says the dynamics of SUP, especially for competitions held on ocean waters requires surfing skills, so the board must be able to ride the waves – like a surfboard.

Lawyers for the two federations are negotiating terms of a request for arbitration by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. While the federations have agreed to allow CAS to make a ruling, neither ISA or ICF have been able to figure out the question they would like CAS to decide. One try at a CAS ruling last year proved fruitless.

"For us, the question to be put before CAS is a very simple one: Which IF should govern SUP at the elite level based on the experience, track record and current landscape of the sport," says the ISA in a statement to ATR.

"Until now, ICF’s lawyers have not agreed to that question and without an agreement between the parties on the question, which would be unfortunate, we cannot go to CAS Arbitration and would have to look for other legal solutions," says the federation.

IOC President Thomas Bach urged the federations to find a solution in a meeting with Aguerre and Perurena a year ago. The two sports leaders have known each other about 10 years. Linked by their mother tongue of Spanish, Aguerre, an Argentina native, says he and Perurena, from Spain, have a good relationship. But the impasse has yet to crumble.

"I talk to him. I spent some quality time with him in Bangkok at the SportAccord meeting," says the surfing leader.

"Their claim has no merit but I’m not going to let that sour my relationship with anybody. For me it’s just a competition here. And we have the upper hand. We have the merits and historical record to show that," Aguerre says.

Without resolution, SUP has been abandoned for upcoming multi-sport events. The 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, 2019 Pan Ams in Lima and the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games have dropped SUP from consideration for those events.

While the federation was unsuccessful including SUP in the Tokyo Olympics, ISA's goal is to bring the event to the Olympics one day. For now ISA is focused on bringing the discipline into the smaller multi-sport Games.

The ICF has announced its intent to stage its first SUP World Championship Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 in Portugal. The event will take place between the ICF sprint and marathon championships. Perurena says he believes that many of the participants will come from the ranks of the sprint and marathoncompetitors.

But Casper Steinfath of Denmark, an SUP world champion and a member of the ISA executive board, says he’s not sure any of his fellow competitors on the professional paddleboard circuit will detour to Portugal.

"I wasn’t surprised but I was disappointed. I think the last thing the sports movement needs is two federations claiming one sport or two world championships," Steinfath tells ATR.

"I’m disappointed as an athlete. I am torn and very angry. It creates a lot of confusion among the athletes about this new championship.

"I do not know of any top athletes who will be intending to compete at the ICF world championships. To me it seems like a ghost event," he says.

Perhaps a greater disappointment for Steinfath is the missed opportunity to be a part of the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in October or at the World Beach Games in San Diego next year.

"It’s very frustrating from the athletes’ perspective. Especially for Buenos Aires. That’s a missed opportunity for the stars of tomorrow. And that’s something that means a lot to me personally. It’s a shame that this controversy has deprived these athletes the opportunity to shine on an international stage," says Steinfath.

Reported by Ed Hula.