It is the goal of the WPA to provide a comprehensive voice, fair and equal access and organizational structure to the sport of paddling and its participants in a manner which benefits the collective paddling community.

Q: What is the World Paddle Association (WPA)?

A: The WPA is comprised of four divisions: Stand UP Paddle (SUP), Paddleboard, Outrigger Canoe (OC) and Surfski. Due to the time, cost, permit limitations and growing popularity of Stand Up Paddling, all four disciplines often share in the same events. It is our goal to provide a common ground from which the community as a whole can find information, event support, and provide assistance to the sport of SUP during a period of rapid growth.

The more established Paddleboard, OC and Surfski already have governing bodies and well-defined groups. For these three disciplines support may come in the form of race management services and a common forum for news and events.

The WPA has partnered with Blast Racing to offer Race Directors low cost, high tech race management solutions. WPA supported events will feature streamlined registration and provide results within minutes instead of days. Continuous registration, live ranking systems, lower insurance premiums and additional group benefits are possible under this model.


Q: Why should I join the WPA?

A: The WPA provides you, the paddler, with not only a more enjoyable and reliable experience, but with a voice in the future of your sport. With more and more events being held every weekend the need for oversight and regulation is becoming a very real concern.

Your support is essential to our success. Membership dues cover the cost of operation, and allow the WPA to continue to make the events we love and cherish operate in a smooth and stream lined manner during a period of massive growth.

The WPA is diligently working with race directors, sponsors, and most importantly paddlers to ensure our association continues to head down the right path. We are assembling an international Board of Directors with local advisory boards to help achieve our mission.



We invite you to join the WPA now and become a part of solution.

World Paddle Association