Scenes from the Stand-Up Paddle World Championship -- Federations Focus

(ATR) The International Surfing Association’s Stand-Up Paddle World Championship are transitioning to the surfing disciplines.

The paddling disciplines concluded in Copenhagen, Denmark on Sept. 3 with athletes competing for gold medals in SUP and prone distance races as well as 200m sprints. Both men and women competed in the two-day event preceded by a parade of nations and opening ceremony.

Athletes had to traverse the scenic canals of Copenhagen to claim medals, passing along the neo-futuristic Opera House that also staged the opening ceremony and the famed Marble Church.

An award ceremony followed the close of the sprint events on Sept. 3. After the ceremony athletes boarded buses to Norre Vorupør, nicknamed Cold Hawaii, for the surfing events.

Another ceremony was held on Sept. 4 to welcome the athletes to the coastal waters of Cold Hawaii before competition began on Sept. 5. Athletes are competing in SUP Surfing, SUP Technical Races, Prone Technical Races and Team Relay disciplines until the event concludes on Sept. 10 with a closing ceremony.

Continued success of SUP events could fuel the sports inclusion in future Olympic Games.

Around the Rings reporter Brian Pinelli was on the scene for the paddling disciplines of the championship. Click here for photos from the event.

FIRS, ISF Join Forces to Become World Skate

It’s official. The International Federation of Roller Sports (FIRS) and the International Skateboarding Federation (ISF) have joined forces under the name of World Skate.

The FIRS Congress, meeting in Nanjing, China around the World Roller Games, officially approved the merger and name change.

The vote came with no official fanfare.

The merger, revealed in June, is meant to provide for a more modern platform for the management of all skate disciplines while allowing autonomy for the governance, development and management of skateboarding through a commission chaired by ISF president Gary Ream.

At the time, both Ream and FIRS president Sabatino Aracu stressed the move was needed to make the most of the inclusion of skateboarding in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.

IOC Sport Director Kit McConnell echoed that sentiment, saying in a statement "Through the rebranded World Skate, FIRS and the ISF are actively demonstrating a shared vision which not only celebrates the existing skateboarding communities around the world, but will benefit skateboarding and skateboarders through to the Olympic Games Tokyo and beyond."

Tickets on Sale for USA Curling Championships

Tickets to the first mixed doubles curling championships in the United States are now available.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials and Curling National Championships will take place from Dec. 13-17 at the Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota. Eight teams of two competitors will compete for the sole qualification spot available to the U.S. for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.

Tickets will range from $5 for single matches to $150 for all of the events which also includes a VIP experience.

"We look forward to seeing the great sports fans that the city of Blaine – and the entire Twin Cities area – is known for, as well as fans from throughout the U.S. in attendance," said USA Curling chief executive officer Rick Patzke, according to ABC Newspapers.

"We know the group at Fogerty Arena will work hard to make the mixed doubles team trials a fantastic event."

The arena can reportedly welcome more than 1,000 spectators as one of the larger curling venues in the U.S.

The winner of the event will immediately begin amplifying their training for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games that begin Feb. 9 in South Korea.

Written by Kevin Nutley and Gerard Farek

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