Contents:
a)
WRC in Zotermeer, Netherlands - 2010
b) WRC in Bosnia & Herzegovina - 2009
c) Profile of WRC
d) Media for previous and
upcoming events
e)
World
Rafting Champs 2007 Photos
c)
Profile of WRC
History
The World Rafting Championship has its origins in the international events of Project
RAFT in which up to 50 teams competed in various disciplines including
Slalom and Down River on the Chuya river, Siberia (1987), Nanthala river,
USA (1989), Reventazón and Pacuare rivers, Costa Rica (1991) and Coruh
river, Turkey (1993). Later, the Camel White Water Challenge (CWWC) took
place on the Zambezi river, Zimbabwe (1995–1997 and 2001), Reventazón and
Pacuare rivers, Costa Rica (1998), Orange river, South Africa (1999) and
Futalefu river, Chile (2000).
The
last three events were given the status of World Championships and for this
reason the teams had to qualify through selection events at the national and
continental levels in coordination with the International Rafting Federation
(IRF). In the year 2000 the IRF resolved to hold the World Rafting
Championships every 2 years and eliminate the selection events at the
continental level to facilitate the development of the sport at the
international level.
Consequentially the World Rafting Championships have
been held on the Reventazón and
Pacuare rivers, Costa Rica (1998), Orange
river in South Africa (1999), Futalefu River in Chile (2000), Gauley River
in USA (2001), Vlatava River in Czech Republic
(2003), Quijos River in Ecuador (2005), Naerinchon River in South Korea
(2007) and with the 2009 event to be
held on the Vrbas and Tara Rivers in Bosnia & Herzegovina in 2009.
Teams and Disciplines
The teams that attend the WRC are selected by their national federations
through fair and credible selections. The top men's and top women's team
from each member federation is eligible to attend. teams consist of 6
paddlers and 1 reserve for R6 and 4 paddlers and 1 reserve for R4.
Rafting competitions consist of 4 disciplines –
Sprint, Head-to-Head
(H2H), Slalom and
Downriver. The points earned in each discipline are added to determine the
Overall winner and final positions. Each team has 6 members with the option
to have a reserve.
• The Sprint is a hard, fast, short
burst of speed for the teams. It is ideally over a fairly short distance and
is about 2 to 3 minutes of hard paddling for 10% of the overall points. It is
always done first, cannot be on a Class 5 rapid and teams are set off one by
one, hence racing the clock and not each other.
• The H2H is without doubt the most visually exciting discipline
as it is pitting two teams together in a fast paced sprint for the finish
line. It is ideally over a shortish distance but must be through a rapid,
normally taking teams about 2 to 3 minutes to run the course. The two teams
are set off together with the team having the best time in the Time Trial
being given lane choice. Although the race organisers always try to have the
lanes as even as possible this is not easy as a river is so dynamic and
changing river levels can also create problems. Ideal locations for a H2H
have more than one line through the course allowing teams to overtake. It counts for
20% of the total points and is an elimination race in which pairs of
teams race down a section of powerful rapids. The winner of each heat
proceeds to the next round and eventually just 2 teams will remain for the
Final.
• The
Slalom is the most technically challenging event and counts for 30% percent
of the total points. This event demands a high level of technique and
teamwork to negotiate the rafts through 12 downriver and upriver gates in
powerful rapids. Touching, failing to pass or intentionally moving a gate
results in a penalty. Each team runs the course twice and their best time is
used to determine the results.
• The
Downriver is the star event and is worth 40% of the total score. The race is
close to an hour of racing along of a section of continuous and powerful
rapids. Technical ability and endurance are essential elements to ensuring a
good position in this event which is crucial for the teams that aspire to
win the Championship. The points earned by the teams in the previous events
determine their position in the starting line-up in groups up to 5 rafts.
Past Champions
Results available to download
here as Adobe Acrobat files
Summary of Past Champions
| |
Men |
Women |
1998
Costa Rica |
1 |
Slovenia |
1 |
USA |
|
2 |
Czech Rep |
2 |
Britain |
|
3 |
Germany |
3 |
Slovakia |
1999
South Africa |
1 |
Slovenia |
1 |
New Zealand |
|
2 |
Russia |
2 |
United States |
|
3 |
Czech Rep |
3 |
Great Britain |
2000
Chile |
1 |
Russia |
1 |
New Zealand |
|
2 |
Slovakia |
2 |
United States |
|
3 |
Germany |
3 |
Slovakia |
2001
USA |
1 |
Germany |
1 |
Czech
Rep |
|
2 |
Italy |
2 |
Slovakia |
|
3 |
Czech Rep |
3 |
United
States |
2003
Czech Rep |
1 |
Czech Rep |
1 |
New Zealand |
|
2 |
Germany |
2 |
Czech Rep |
|
3 |
Brazil |
3 |
Slovakia |
2005
Ecuador |
1 |
Russia |
1 |
Czech Rep |
|
2 |
Czech Rep |
2 |
New Zealand |
|
3 |
USA |
3 |
Slovakia |
2007
Korea |
1 |
Brazil |
1 |
Czech |
|
2 |
Czech |
2 |
Canada |
|
3 |
Japan |
3 |
New
Zealand |
2009
BiH |
1 |
Brasil |
1 |
Canada |
|
2 |
Japan |
2 |
Japan |
|
3 |
Great
Britain |
3 |
Czech |
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