I just spoke with the International Canoe Federation (ICF) in Europe and they’re about to announce a pretty surprising move: The 2020 ICF SUP World Championships have been put on hold due to legal uncertainty surrounding their court case with the ISA (International Surfing Federation). But in an interesting twist, canoe’s governing body has already confirmed the host nation for the 2021 Worlds: Hungary.

The decision to postpone the 2020 event comes after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) failed to reach a conclusion to the long-running “Olympic SUP” debate between the ISA and ICF. Both federations were expecting some sort of answer in December, but the saga of all sagas appears to be dragging on a little longer. The ICF also suggested that increasing concerns around the coronavirus – which has already seen thousands of sporting events canceled around the world – was another factor in their decision.

This is a developing story. More to come…