The International Canoe-Kayak Federation (ICF) loves Thailand. The body organized its 39th annual congress in Pattaya earlier this month. It announced today that the same Thai city, less than a two-hour drive from Bangkok, has been chosen to host the Stand Up Paddle (SUP) World Championships in 2023. The precise dates of the competition have not been announced. yet been revealed, but the event should be held in November, after the end of the rainy season. According to the ICF, the choice of Pattaya responds to the desire to develop the discipline throughout the world. Previous SUP World Championships have taken place in China, Hungary and Poland. Alongside the competitions, the organizers plan to offer the public a stand-up paddle festival, on and off the water, with beach parties and local artists. As a reminder, the SUP discipline is shared between two bodies of the Olympic movement, the ICF and the International Surfing Federation (ISA). An agreement was reached between the two parties after a long legal battle concluded before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
