"Once upon a time...". This is how this short story about SUP competition sport in Germany and the world over the last 10 years could begin. But it shouldn't. I would like to look ahead and look at current developments, or is it rather stagnation.
It's also not about SUP as a leisure activityIf you believe the industry's figures, this is developing magnificently and the "problems" that more and more people are having on the water seem to confirm this. I would like to focus here only on SUP competition/competitive sport. For around 10 years now, there have been more or less organised events in Germany and the rest of the world where SUPers compete and have more or less fun because the courses are too long, too short, have too many bends, there is too little or too much wind, etc. or the competition is clumsy, unfair or quite nice, and men and women can have a cold drink together after the race if time permits.
Competition "rules" have been drawn upThe competition formats change from time to time and NEW things are tried out, which is desirable in a new and young sport. Then there are clubs/associations that more or less work together to "develop" the sport ....Oh, I digress.
So back to "competitive sport". National / International An international association organises a world championship, but "the" national "association" does not allow any German paddlers to take part (happened in 2016).
There will be another world championship in 2017. The national qualification criteria have long been unclear or not really precisely formulated. Then the international federation suddenly remembers, oops, there was something about equal rights for men and women. So they quickly add another starting place. Another challenge for the national federation. In 2018, another association (ICF) is organising an open championshipwhich anyone and everyone could and should take part in, if THEY want to and have the time. The other international association (ISA)apparently doesn't like the idea and actually manages to have the event banned by a national court. Even if this violates European law, the athletes are left out in the cold for the time being and hope that things will continue somehow. In return, one association (ISA) relocates But then it moves its "own" championship from Brazil to China and at the same time announces a "World Series Championship" (APP Tour) to complete the confusion. This also seems to have confused the national association and its organisers so much that they once again failed (see 2016/2017) to announce clear and unambiguous qualification criteria for one or other of the World Cups (who can still see through that?).
And once again the athletes have to pay the price. There are qualifying races that in hindsight weren't really qualifying races after all, what's the point, a German championship isn't that important. But the athletes are supposed to ride thousands of kilometres across the country to qualify after all, but this is not communicated. And so only one hand, or was it two hands, full of athletes appear on the second "qualification race" who still want to/are able to qualify or are simply nominated because they just happened to be there. I have not yet found a meaningful list of results. Internationally successful riders are not allowed or do not want to take part in the World Championships for whatever reason.
Does this have anything to do with "competitive sport", where it should be about the BEST, FASTEST or SKILLED person crossing the finish line first? Not really, is it? And so it will be the case again this year that a motley crew of paddlers will be making their way to China, not Brazil, to take part in a world championship. They may not all be competing in their favourite disciplines or in those for which they have qualified, or they may not be the fastest paddlers we have in Germany, but of course I wish them all a good time.
For the time after the World Championships or even beforehand, the athletes who are passionate about the sport and invest a lot of time and money in it because they enjoy it should take the reins, stand up and have a say in decisions or even make them themselves so that they are not at the mercy of the incompetence of those responsible for the associations. You are STAND UP PADDLER, so stand upand take YOUR sport further! Don't let yourselves be forced into decisions that you don't agree with. Take responsibility yourselves.
"Stand Up" and forms a strong athlete representationas they also exist in other sports. Only then will you take YOUR sport further. Don't wait for decisions from associations and "officials" that don't work. To summarise, you could say that not much has really happened in the last 10 years of SUP "competitive sport". But perhaps this is also due to the saying about the many cooks. Let's see how the story continues. E.ä.P. (An older paddler); AKA Olaf Schwarz
