Canoe Fed Wants SUP in Olympics

(ATR) Perhaps it is the first time that two contestants say they are satisfied with a resolution of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. At least, it is unusual.

The International Surfing Association (ISA) described the August 6 decision of CAS as "historic" for having granted it governance at the Olympic level of the form known as Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP).

The International Canoeing Federation (ICF) affirmed, for its part, that CAS has cleared the way for the International Canoeing Federation to continue organizing SUP events at the national, international and world levels.

The president of the ICF, José Perurena, considers that what has been decided by CAS is "exactly" its original proposal before the president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, that there should be no "exclusivity" in the development of this discipline.

Perurena assured Around the Rings that SUP with the ICF is stronger in Asia and Europe while with the ISA it is stronger in America and Oceania.

SUP is practiced on boards of different sizes in which the rider uses a paddle as a means of propulsion to move through the water while standing on the board.

The litigation lasted three years, a period that lasted longer than expected, which prevented, according to some analysts, the possibility that the SUP could be analyzed for the 2024 Olympic Games program. ISA president Fernando Aguerre tells ATR he plans to work to get SUP into the Paris Games despite a tight deadline.

The Paris Olympic Program will be closed on December 31, 2020 and to date Around the Ringsdoes not know of meetings between organizers, international federations and the IOC to add more sports.

The IOC validated breaking (breakdancing), climbing, skateboarding, and surfing for the Paris Games, although it had announced that its Executive Committee would definitively certify their presence in December 2020 after an observation period.

Nobody imagined that the year would be marked by cancellations and postponements of the vast majority of the competitions including the "summit test": the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Experts consider it more likely to see SUP from the hand of the ISA in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program as long as it is approved by the IOC Executive Board.

Perurena said the decision presents an opportunity for two Olympic federations to work together to grow a sport.

He believes that the federation in charge of SUP as an Olympic modality will have the obligation to accept the competitors of the other federation in their qualifiers.

ICF is preparing to confirm its World Championships in this specialty until 2024 following the CAS decision. The first will be at Balatonfured in Hungary in 2021. ISA also ratifies theirs.

"Hopefully ISA will get SUP to enter the Olympic Games because that way our athletes will have the opportunity to be there," said Perurena.

"After the resolution of the CAS it is time to work together for the worldwide development of SUP to get it to be in the Olympic Program as soon as possible," said Perurena.

"In addition we would have to coordinate the calendars so that the athletes of the federations can participate in all international competitions," reflected the Spanish leader who will not stand for re-election next April.

Written and reported by Miguel Hernandez

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