ICF SUP World Championships 2025

Watching top athletes in their chosen sport doesn’t necessarily mean you want or must do it to that level – take cycling, one of the biggest sports in the world in a social sense but I guess a lot of those cyclists watch the Tour de France! 

Likewise, AquaPaddle; there are so many of you getting out on the water who maybe wouldn’t dream of racing but might just like to watch others do it. That’s where the media and broadcasters of the SUP world come in, people like me, who really want to show you the top end of the sport. 

Right now, in Abu Dhabi, the ICF SUP World Championships is happening, and we have a healthy group of athletes competing there. Some are going because they qualified and some have chosen to go of their own accord. 

The event started on Wednesday with impromptu live coverage from TotalSUP but we are lucky enough to have Crispin Richard Jones from Waterborn SUP on the ground for us. Not only is he racing, but he has filmed every GB heat so far! You can check out all the recorded heats on Waterborn SUP’s social media channels, but we too are sharing them on our own socials here SUPJUNKIE FACEBOOK PAGE and SUPJUNKIE INSTAGRAM 

From Friday though, there will be some official live coverage. It can be found on the PLANET CANOE YOUTUBE CHANNEL but if in any doubt do check back onto our social media pages for the correct info and links. 

We will be writing a full report next week but for now let’s give a shout out to the team: 

We’d also love to give a shout out to the volunteers and families who travel with the team, someone there to be your runner, carry your board, make sure you are hydrated and fed and give a well-deserved hug no matter how your race goes so THANK YOU to them. 

These athletes are taking part in either one, two or three events – Sprints, Technical and Distance. The Sprints are fast and furious over a straight line of 100 metres. The Technical race is a course around 7 buoys with a distance of approx. 1 km, and the Distance is around 10 km. 

In our team we have a good cross section of Junior, Open, Masters 40+ and Masters 50+ and every class is stacked with world class paddlers and World champions.  

So, if you have spare moments over the next 3 days, we invite you to check out some of the racing – you will not be disappointed and should be impressed with the super skills of the athletes in Abu Dhabi this weekend. 

On Friday, it’s all about the Sprints where you will see back-to-back semi-finals and finals across all the age categories.  

On Saturday, it will be the same but for Technical, with semi and finals spread throughout the day. 

On Sunday, it will be the day of Distance Racing, 10km in very hot and humid weather will test every paddler on the water. This also includes a separate class for Inflatables, where anyone and everyone can have a go.  

After each day, there will be prizegiving for that discipline and then a closing ceremony and huge after party, where the athletes can finally let their hair down and relax. 

So that in a nutshell, is what you can expect at a World Championship level event. We have been to many, and the excitement level is real, especially when you meet, chat to and even line up next to one of your idols or role models in the sport.  

So, wish wish our GB athletes the very best of luck, paddle hard but make sure you really embrace and enjoy the whole experience too – it’s world class! 

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