ICF & Ocean paddler world cups

Anyone care to explain how or why we have two world cups?

From the race reports I've seen here it looks like the majority of ICF racing is in Europe? And it looks like Nelo is the backer?

Please correct me or otherwise lay it out for us all to understand what is going on at the top level of international ocean ski racing

Easy, ICF want to control surfski.
They smell money.
They go ahead and name their events like they do.

In the meantime, those that love the sport will continue to run their own competition in an attempt to keep it out of ICF hands.

ICF will impose their own laws and restrictions which is against everything that surfski has developed from.

Long live the founding freedom that surfski is based upon.

Hi Rightarmband

ICF do not need or want money out of the sport. Yes they might want to put in rules etc but this will be done with consultation. Their stamp of approval on the sport gives enormous crediblity to the sport.

Dean's efforts are also great and add a more professional slant to the sport - there iss room for both.

The ICF Ocean Racing committee comprises representatives from South Africa, Australia and Portugal currently and the SA/Aus guys are looking out for the interests of surfski in general (which is not to say that the Portuguese guy, Mario Santos, is not.

Billy Harker who pioneered surfski race organisation in South Africa is also backing the process and is putting huge energy into the first ICF Ocean Racing World Champs to be held in Portugal next year.

Rules have been put in place and they've been kept as open as possible (eg no weight restriction on boats, etc) and the old "European" things like safety ropes, etc, taken out.

Who knows what will happen moving forward, but it's my hope that by having an ICF Ocean Racing World Championships (and note the wording, they're not claiming/using the term surfski) it will bring more exposure to the sport.

There will always be speculation and conspiracy theories and all that crap, but there are a number of good people putting a lot of time and effort into promoting this sport - and my recommendation is that we give the ICF World Champs our support next year.

To say that ICF or Nelo or anyone else can "take over" the sport is just crap. The Oceanpaddler World Series has taken what we (ie surfski.info) did a step further in terms of professionalism and credibility and it's my earnest hope that the two things can work together to create a greater whole.

So, in summary:

- There's been lots of consultation between ICF and surfski about this
- There are good people from the "surfski side" working with ICF, who in fact dominate the committee.
- ICF has the potential to give the sport huge exposure.
- There's no reason why the ICF World Champs shouldn't be outside of Europe in 2014 - there's a transparent open bidding process for this (and I strongly suspect that South Africa will be one of the strong bidders).

So before we write it off as an international conspiracy to destroy the character and ethos of surfski, how about we support it and mould it as our own?

For myself, I intend to celebrate my move to the Masters category next year by getting to Portugal for the first World Champs.

Just my 2c

Thank-you for your eloquent and informative response Rob, exactly what I was after