Int'l Surf, Canoe Bodies In Dispute To Claim Stand-Up Paddleboarding

The "rapidly growing popularity" of stand-up paddleboarding has "led to an unlikely battle for control," with surfing and canoeing both claiming it as an "off-shoot" of their own sport against a backdrop of possible Olympic inclusion, according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. The Int'l Surfing Association has organized competitions "for years in SUP." But the Int'l Canoe Federation said that the use of the paddle "automatically" makes SUP part of its organization. ISA President Fernando Aguerre said, "Up until last year there was no interest from the ICF." Surfing is one of five new sports to be included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Aguerre said that the ISA "unsuccessfully tried to include SUP in those Games as a surfing discipline" (REUTERS, 4/5).