The International Canoe Federation (ICF) announced today a new partnership with the Carolina Cup as a qualifying race for an incredibly exciting 2022 SUP World Championship season.
The start line to the Carolina Cup is one of the most exciting starts for any SUP race in the world as amateur athletes line up with the pros for a mass start. Photo by: Urban Ocean SUPCarolina Cup Becomes ICF Qualifying Race for SUP World Series
Located in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, the formidable Carolina Cup attracts hundreds of paddlers and spectators each year. This year, it becomes even more exciting as the event will now double as an ICF ranking race in both the technical and long distance courses as part of the 2022 ICF world series.
Athletes competing in the 2022 Carolina Cup will have an opportunity to pre-qualify for the main draw in this year’s ICF Paddleboard World Championships in Gdynia, Poland; thus, avoiding the pre-event preliminary qualifications.
Read: ICF 2021 World Championships in Balatonfjord, Hungary.
The 2021 Carolina Cup was held in spike of high winds and a raging current, challenging paddlers to put forth every effort to make the finish line. Photo by: Laura GlantzLongtime Carolina Cup race director Mark Schmidt said teaming up with the ICF is a perfect fit.
“With the International Canoe Federation’s long established base in paddle sports, we look forward to being the first stop on the ICF point series and become a qualifying race for their World Championships,” Schmidt said.
The Carolina Cup Graveyard race takes athletes out through the surf break into the Atlantic Ocean to battle wind & swell, then through 1 of 2 inlets to paddle the intercoastal waterway before breaking through the second inlet and a final ocean leg home. A big battle for any charger. Photo by: Carolina CupICF World SUP Cup Series Begins April 30th at Wrightsville Beach
This year’s Carolina Cup takes place on April 30 – May 1 in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina and will kick off the ICF’s 2022 world ranking series. Qualified athletes will then head to Thun, Switzerland, for the opening ICF SUP World Cup, followed by events in Prague, Salzburg and Budapest. Quite a lineup for SUP racing!
Full details of the 2022 ICF SUP season can be found here.
Danny Ching brings home the win with a big smile at the finish of the Graveyard course in 2021. Photo by: Laura GlantzICF SUP co-ordinator, Hoichan Kwon, said he was proud to have the Carolina Cup as the lead-off for the 2022 ICF SUP calendar.
“We have an exciting event calendar lined up for this season, and now the Carolina Cup will take it to another level,” Kwon said.
“Since 2015 the Carolina Cup has rightly been considered as one of the world’s premiere SUP events. It attracts many of the world’s best paddlers; therefore, we are thrilled to give these athletes an opportunity to book their tickets to our world SUP championships.”
ICF World Series: Wrightsville, Thun, Prague, Salzburg and Budapest
The SUP World Cup planned for Moscow has been canceled due to the Ukranian invasion, but Kwon is confident a replacement location will be announced soon.
Standup Journal will see YOU on the beach in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina!
