Will the ICF’s Junior Races Survive the New One Design Mandate?
In a flurry of rule changes for 2025, the new One Design mandate for SUP juniors was dropped like a lead balloon. All juniors, athletes under age 18, will be required to use a single “One Design” hard board for SUP at ICF competitions. Their stated reasoning? Accessibility. But athletes are concerned, and some juniors have already decided not to race ICF events because of One Design.
The 2025 season starts with a splash
The 2025 sprint season kicked off last weekend in a pool in Dusseldorf. An indoor pool may not sound like the most exciting location for a race, but the SUP event made a splash as part of the larger Düsseldorf Boat Show. And really, in January, where could be better for the athletes than a toasty warm pool facing off their biggest rivals in head to head sprint technicals?