Inclusive & Global: Czech SUP Nationals Embrace Para, Prone and Internationals

Get ready for a unique SUP experience in the heart of Central Europe! On July 18-20, the 2025 Czech National SUP Championships are heading to Lipno, the “South Bohemian Sea,” just 2h30 south of Prague. With rough waters, a sandy beach, and a lively atmosphere, this new venue is set to host the country’s most important paddleboard event of the year. SUP racing is booming across Central Europe, and Czechia is no exception—the sport continues to grow in inclusivity and reach. The event is open to international athletes, 100% inclusive of ParaSUP paddlers with dedicated races, and for the first time, welcomes prone paddleboarders. In this interview, we speak with Lucie Raab, secretary of the Czech Surf and SUP Federation, about this year’s event, the rise of Czech athletes, and the federation’s commitment to building an open and vibrant paddling community.

Hello Lucie. This year’s Czech Championships take place at Lipno, in a brand-new venue. What makes this location special for hosting such an important event?

We are looking forward to Lipno, also known as the “South Bohemian Sea”! It is a great place for the main paddleboard race of the season. We are constantly looking for new locations that offer conditions suitable for a race with a surfing spirit. Competitors can look forward to rough water, a large water area, and a beach.

How does the Czech Surf and SUP Federation select its national team for the ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championships?

The decisive nomination race is the Czech Republic Championship, and we also continuously monitor the performance of our competitors in international races, especially those at sea.

Who are currently the top-performing Czech SUP athletes, and are there any rising stars we should be watching in 2025?

We have Tomáš Grošup, who was adopted by a Spanish team and regularly participates in international competitions. In the junior/women’s category, we have Linda Syrovátková. And we are eagerly awaiting the performance of junior Matyáš Soukup, who has recovered from a year of health problems and has already dominated the entire men’s field in the OPEN category in previous races. Other juniors can be expected within two years. And I must not forget our competitor and social ambassador Kateřina Trdlová who most often brings home medals from international competitions in her category.

Mácháč 2025, Praha, Česká republika (Foto Martin Hladik)

2025 marks the launch of a prone paddleboard division. Why was it important to include this category, and what kind of participation are you expecting?

Actually, it’s because of the ISA Championships and also because Tomáš Grošup doesn’t want to compete in the prone relay there. We decided to try to further develop our sports disciplines and contacted the Czech Lifesaving Team and their lifesaving sports association, which includes prone as one of its competitive disciplines. Together, we are organizing a workshop for prone competitors at the end of June with multiple world champions from England, Andrew Byatt and Molly Roodhouse. The opening of this category at the Czech Championships is the beginning of raising awareness about this category. We are interested in participating ourselves! From this race onwards, it will be possible to participate in the prone category at every Czech Cup race.

The ParaSUP races are a key part of the event. Can you tell us more about the development of ParaSUP in the Czech Republic and your vision for its future?

ParaSUP is an integral part of Czech paddleboarding. Slowly but surely, we are seeing the emergence of competitors who have SUP among their first sports and are keen to participate abroad. The vision is to get to the beginning of ParaSUP sport. Hopefully, by autumn, we will be able to work with the Danish Federation and the ISA to put together rules for this sport and formats for disciplines and categories, and then move on to specific collaborations with other clubs and communities practicing ParaSUP in Europe and start discovering the ParaSUP community together. Hopefully, this will motivate other Czech riders to take up this sport.

Mistrovství České Republiky v paddleboardingu, 13.7.2024, Bezdrev

Mistrovství České Republiky v paddleboardingu, 13.7.2024, Bezdrev

How do you support and welcome foreign athletes who may be first-time visitors, don’t speak Czech, or are unfamiliar with the local culture during the event?

First and foremost, we are friendly! We know this ourselves when we travel to races abroad. We welcome foreign competitors because they enrich our race. There is always a heart of the race and a main communicator. In our case, that’s usually me, and I handle the first wave of questions by email. Otherwise, all the information can be found on the website, we use WhatsApp for communication for each race, we explain the rider’s meeting in English or German, the entry fee can also be paid in euros, and we can even help competitors with securing boards. Our customs are similar to those at all races, except that our technical race involves extra spinning to compensate for the lack of sea. And when the worst comes to the worst, we can all communicate with each other using broken English and gestures.

(Foto Martin Hladik)

Lipno is located near some beautiful towns and nature spots. What would you recommend visitors see and do in the area during their stay?

It depends on your taste. The tourist mainstream in our country is popular gastronomy – Czech beer and Czech specialties, as well as the architecture of old towns.
– Český Krumlov (20 km from the event site): a picturesque medieval town with significant Baroque and Renaissance buildings listed by UNESCO, the historic Krumlov Brewery, traditions and crafts, to eat trdelník and svíčková with dumplings, a torture museum, cafés and galleries, bears in the moat, and also a popular water route along the Vltava River
– České Budějovice (50 km): the capital of the South Bohemian Region with beautiful architecture and atmosphere at the confluence of the Vltava and Malše rivers. And home to our world-famous national beer Budějovický Budvar.
– Otherwise, the whole of Lipno is located in the Šumava Nature Park on the border with Austria, and there are many wild nature destinations and fish specialties
– And right in the vicinity of the event, there is a small animal farm and also the coolest beach, Windy Point, with concerts and cocktails

Official Czech Surf & SUP website:
https://cfsas.cz/novinka/mcr-v-paddleboardingu-a-parapaddleboardingu-2025/
Registration form:
Google Form
Facebook Event
www.facebook.com/events/722350820239956