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Stand Up Paddleboarding in the Olympics?

The sport of stand up paddleboarding, specifically SUP racing, is being considered for the Olympic Games with possible debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Two international Olympic federations, the ICF (International Canoe Federation) and ISA (International Surfing Association) are currently waging a political and legal battle for “control” of the sport. The ISA has been involved far longer, beginning with the 2012 ISA World Championship, however the surfing crew have been remained oddly stagnant while the canoe boys became aggressively interested in SUP racing over the past few years. We’ve reached the point where the ICF SUP World Championship is now a more competitive event than the original ISA version.

Though if you ask most paddlers, SUP is a self-governing sport (see: ICF vs ISA “selfish parents” Olympic debate).

In other words: it’s a bit of a mess

Below is a collection of articles we’ve written over the years about stand up paddling in the Olympics…

       
March 6, 2020
by Christopher Parker (@wheresbossman)

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 […]

 
January 9, 2020
by Christopher Parker (@wheresbossman)

Mike Jucker from Stand Up Magazin - one of the oldest and most respected outlets in the SUP media world - joins us to chat "Chaos of Champions," world titles and the future of the sport. Give Mike a follow on Instagram and help him celebrate 10 years of @standupmagazin. You can also listen to Paddlecast on

   

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