Communiqué European Rapid Surf Championship

Rapid Surfing unites surfing on standing waves including river surfing and surfing on artificial waves. The term «Rapid» describes both the rapids being surfed and the rapid style of surfing, in which various manoeuvres and tricks are linked together in a fast manner. The very first international championship in this young discipline will be organised by Swiss Surfing in 2026: The Rapid Surfing European Championships will take place from 23 to 26 September 2026 at the indoor surf facility OANA in the Mall of Switzerland in Ebikon near Lucerne. The following spots will be available:

• Open Men – 32 spots

• Open Women – 32 spots

• Junior Girls (U18, born 2008 or later) - 8 spots

• Junior Boys (U18, born 2008 or later) - 8 spots

• Master Women (35+) – 8 spots

• Master Men (35+) – 8 spots

All athletes can only be nominated for one category.

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Qualification and Registration

Each European surfing federation that is a member of the ESF (European Surf Federation) may register the desired number of quota places for each discipline until 14 January 2026. After this deadline, the organising committee will decide how many fixed quota places can be assigned to each federation. Free starting places will be communicated to ESF member federations for registration after 1 March 2026. The selection of athletes is the sole responsibility of the national federations; a direct registration by athletes is not possible.

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Judging and Format

The newly developed CVE rulebook (Commitment – Variety – Execution), created jointly by the DACH-federations*, is the base for judging at the European Championships. Heats will generally be surfed as heats of 4. Each surfer rides four waves, with the best two scores forming the total score. In all disciplines, a repechage round will follow the first round. Adjustments to the format and schedule may be made by the Competition Direction if needed (i.e. number of participants, time conditions, etc.).

* DACH: Germany, Austria, Switzerland

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Organisation

The Board of Swiss Surfing, responsible for the strategic planning of the event, has put Jeroen Kuijer in charge as Project Leader of the European Championships. Sandro Santschi, Co-President of the federation and responsible for communication, states: «Jerry brings extensive rapid surf know-how, as well as experience in project management and leadership, and he is well connected within the scene.» Delphine Sauvant, Carlo Capitanio, and Dario Mueller – three additional experienced members from within the federation – have been assigned operational responsibilities. The organising committee will be expanded and adjusted as needed.

For any organisational matter, please contact Jeroen Kuijer: jeroen.kuijer@swisssurfing.ch

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Media Relations

For further information or interview requests, please contact the media office of Swiss Surfing: Sandro Santschi, +41 79 475 27 87, sandro.santschi@swisssurfing.ch

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Links

• Photos for editorial use: https://www.flickr.com/photos/swisssurfing/albums/

(please respect photo credits)

• Web Swiss Surfing: https://www.swisssurfing.ch/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Swisssurfing

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swisssurfing/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/swisssurfing/

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