This Tuesday, the Río Negro Regatta is the only day of rest for paddlers, but in the absence of action in the water, things happen outside of it.
The first controversy of the 2024 edition broke out with an issue that already had some criticism last year from competitors: the interpretation of the test regulations by the judges of the Argentine Canoe Federation (FAC) that supervise the traditional canoeing competition.
According to the sports authorities, boat No. 7 that races within the senior K2 sanctioned and He charged the duo with 15 seconds of extra time for an alleged bad start. According to the FAC regulations regarding entry procedures, the Starter will issue the signal “Ready” followed by a gunshot, an initial horn or the word “Go”.
If athletes begin to paddle after the word “Ready” and before the start signal is given, they will have made a false start. The regulation says that if the foul is committed, the authorities must warn the paddler, and if there is a second foul, only then will they be penalized with 15 minutes.
According to the regulations, Competitors have the right to appeal the decision of the Competition Committee, which will have to be written and with the corresponding arguments. It must be
addressed to the Head of the Competition and delivered by the Team Leader, within a period of 20 minutes counted from the moment in which he is informed, in writing.
What Algañaras claims is that the sanctions for false starts are poorly implemented, since He was not notified of the infraction by a written note addressed to the club and given to the delegate, but rather it was done through WhatsApp. Furthermore, according to the regulations, there is the right of the athlete to appeal the sanction, something that was denied by the competition judge.
The paddler who races for the Náutico Piedra Buena affirms that his claim against the judges is shared by many of the clubs that are in competition, since there have been many penalties of an “unappealable” nature and without access to evidence, when in reality the regulations say otherwise. Furthermore, the warning notice for the first offense has been ignored, with only the second offense receiving the penalty, which is done in writing.
The FAC Referees Commission sent a note to the delegate of the Piedra Buena Nautical Club, Patricia Sánchez, where it says that “tAny type of claim, protest and/or appeal must be made by the team leader or delegate as stated in the Regulations of the Río Negro International Regatta.although this statement is contradicted by that of the FAC judge present at the test, Hugo Cabrera, who maintains the “unappealable” nature of the sanction, as stated by Algañaras.
The sanctions are falling on moving games at each stage start. (Photo/Matías Subat)
The case will have more chapters since the competition still has four stages left. In the three that have already been run, there were sanctions for false starts. The topic will surely bring debate as the regulation warns that “when strong currents make a stationary exit difficult, a moving exit may be used.” The Negro River is currently very current and according to testimonies from paddlers in this Regatta, it is difficult to maintain balance with a stationary boat and without using the paddles at the time of departure.