CSA Rules and Regulations

Approved by the CSA Board on 3rd December 2010
1. The Technical Committee’s are advisory/consultative committee’s of the Canoeing South Africa
(CSA) Board of Directors (Board), established under point 33.1 & 33.2 of the CSA Constitution,
and are responsible for carrying out the policies of the CSA Board. The functioning of all technical
committees is subject to Rule 29 & 30 of the CSA Constitution.

2. The following Technical Committees shall deal with specific activities of the Federation:
a. Flatwater Racing (Sprints) Technical Committee
b. Slalom Racing Technical Committee
c. Wildwater Racing Technical Committee
d. Marathon Racing Technical Committee
e. Canoe Polo Technical Committee
f. Freestyle Technical Committee
g. Surf Ski Technical Committee
h. Rafting Technical Committee
i. Dragon Boating Technical Committee
j. Any other discipline that formally affiliates to CSA.

3. The technical committees are composed of a minimum of four (4) members and up to eight (8)
members, and a Technical Committee Chairman, appointed by the CSA Board at the annual
Strategic Forum, from the nominations received from member Unions. The members of the
Technical committees should be representative of all the Unions and preferably be the current
discipline chairpersons from those Unions.

The appointment is for a period of two (2) years and four (4) years in the case of the Olympic disciplines, which may be renewed. The Olympic Discipline Technical committees will be elected in the year of the Olympic Games at the next meeting following the Olympic Games. Every effort will be made to ensure that each Technical committee shall have at least one female member, and one person as an athlete’s
representative, where possible.

4. For the sake of fulfilling their working plan the Technical Committee shall hold at least four
meetings a year. Meetings should as far as possible be held telephonically, but at least one
meeting each year must be a face?]to?]face meeting. The Technical Committees shall bear the
travelling expenses (economy class) of members of the Technical Committees taking part in the
meetings of the Technical Committees. To this end an annual allocation will be made from CSA
funds.

5. At all Technical Committee meetings minutes must be kept and a list of attendance signed. The
participation/attendance in the meetings is compulsory for the members. Members absent for
justified reasons must advise of their absence prior to the meeting

6. In case of necessity, the CSA Board has the right to suspend and replace members. The new
members serve until the next appointment of the Technical Committee.

7. Team managers, once appointed, shall be co?]opted members of the discipline committee
concerned.

8. The Chairpersons of the Marathon and Flatwater (Sprints) Technical Committees must serve on
each other’s Technical Committees.

9. If possible there is to be Development representation on the Technical committee. CSA
Development Coordinator to be included on the Technical sub committee’s as and when needed.

10. The High Performance Coordinator shall serve on all of the Technical Committees.
Duties of the Technical Committee’s

To ensure the implementation of the decisions of the CSA Board relating to their discipline, the following shall more specifically define the duties, authority and field of activity of each Technical Committee.
1. Each Technical Committee is obliged to draw up and submit the following documents to the CSA
Board for discussion and approval at the annual CSA Strategic Forum:

a. the draft of its working plan including administration requirements, coaching proposals,
CSA supported elite and contracted squad arrangements, tour plans and fund raising
proposal for one (1) year

b. An annual report on its activity, with comments on accounts prepared by the GM, and
any other reports required.

All these documents shall be sent to the CSA General Manager at least twenty days before the
Strategic Forum each year.

2. The duties of the Technical Committees of the competitive disciplines are:

a. Competition Rules & Regulations
i. To apply the CSA Competition Rules and Regulations of their disciplines
ii. To make recommendations to the CSA Board in regards to the Competition rules
as applicable to their disciplines
iii. To make recommendations to the CSA Board on the motions submitted by
National Federations concerning ICF Competition Rules
iv. Recommend to the CSA Board proposals and ideas for submission to the ICF for
change to the ICF Rules

b. Discipline Events / Competitions
i. To make recommendations to the CSA Board on the applications for World and
Continental Championships
ii. To make recommendations to the CSA Board on the applications for National
Championship events
iii. To make recommendations to the organisers of events in regards to the
preparations, the organisation and the programme of National Championships
and International competitions in SA
iv. As required by the CSA Disciplinary Byelaws, appoint Race Juries for National
Championships from nominations made by member Unions. Race juries should
consist of at least three persons.
v. Ensure the discipline National Championship is run as per the applicable
Competition rules
vi. To approve competition courses for National Championship and International
events in SA
vii. To submit to the CSA Board events for the International Competition Calendar for
each year which has to be submitted to the ICF

c. Selection of South Africa Teams
i. To propose events for South African teams to be entered into
ii. To submit proposals to the CSA Board on the selection policies of SA teams
iii. Draft the selection handbook, encompassing the selection policies, for the
respective team for approval by the CSA Board
iv. To choose Team Managers whose appointment shall be sanctioned by the CSA
Board
v. To monitor the SA Team trial events to ensure that selection is undertaken in
accordance with the approved selection policy and published selection handbook
d. Discipline Development
i. To encourage and conduct coaching for their respective discipline
ii. To encourage the development of their discipline in the non established
communities within their discipline
iii. To propose and implement programs for officials training, accreditation and
development
iv. Establish criteria to enable appropriate nominations to ICF for the ICF Officials
Examinations

DISCIPLINE SELECTION COMMITTEES

1. The Selection Committee shall consist of three members plus one ‘reserve selector’ per discipline

2. The Selection Committee shall be appointed by the CSA Board following the recommendations of
the Technical Committee concerned and will be appointed for a two?]year term. The CSA Board
shall elect the Convenor of the Selection Committee

3. The expenses of Selectors in attending trials will be covered by CSA.

DUTIES OF THE DISCIPLINE SELECTION COMMITTEES

1. The duty of the Selection Committee shall be the selection of any team or teams to represent
South Africa following instructions received from the Technical Committee and approved by the
CSA Board. Selection should be in accordance with the approved discipline selection policies and
published selection handbook.

2. The Convener of selectors must ensure that full details of all trials have been widely publicised by
the Technical committee and CSA, and made available from the CSA website

3. The Convener of Selectors must ensure that every candidate wishing to be considered for
selection, signs the full selection handbook prior to the first trial.

4. The convener of selectors shall provide a complete list of the athletes, agreed to by all the
selectors, to the CSA Board, which shall ensure complete compliance with the selection policy
and handbook approved by the CSA Board, and then ratify and publicise the selection.

CSA AFFILIATIONS BYELAW

(Approved by the CSA Board on 9th June 2006)

A paddler can only race for one club in one Union. He can join other clubs in the same or other Unions as a “second claim” member. The second club will not register the paddler with the Union or CSA and the paddler may not race in the colours of his second club.
If a paddler moves to an area under the jurisdiction of a Union different to that through which he is already registered, then he must join a club in the new Union once he has been ordinarily resident in that area for three months. This period may be waived by a club committee should special circumstances prevail.

Canoe numbers – 5 digit number system.
Number series 1000 to 99999 , the first digit indicating the Province. Digits to be minimum of 125 mm
high, black on white. [July05] Gauteng – 1000 to 3499 and 10000 to 34999
Eastern Cape – 4000 to 4999 and 40000 to 49999
Western Cape – 5000 to 5999 and 50000 to 59999
KwaZulu Natal – 6000 to 9999 and 60000 to 99999
Central Districts – 3500 to 3999 and 35000 to 39999
Once issued a number is never reallocated and the paddler retains the number for life even if they
change province or remain unregistered for a period.[July 05] Family membership. Where there are two normally registered members of one family, one of which must be a senior, the third and subsequent members of the same family may registered by their Union free of charge with CSA. This, as long as they fall into the U21 or younger age-groups and are not in full-time employment. A family unit is defined as Parent/Parents and offspring or legally adopted dependants. [July 05]

Affiliation fees
Each Provincial Union of CSA shall pay an annual membership fee calculated on the number of members in the Union.
This fee shall be payable to CSA quarterly on production of an invoice from CSA based on the
registered membership of each Union as determined by the national database at the end of June,
September, December and March. Fees will be payable the end of the following month.
Failure to pay the affiliation fees by the due dates will result in a penalty in the form of interest,
calculated on the amount outstanding. The interest will be that earned by CSA at fixed investment
rates plus 2%.
In addition the CSA Executive Committee has the power to suspend the Provincial Union.

Marathon (LD) Tour Fund
The Marathon (LD) Tour Fund levy of R6 per paddle per day is applicable for the following events: [Dec 02] Berg River Marathon
Umkomaas Marathon
Breede River Marathon
Vaal Marathon (Dec 04)
Fish River Marathon
Drakensberg Challenge (Dec04)
50-Miler
Lowveld Croc Marathon (Dec 04)
Dusi Marathon
Orange River Marathon (Nov. ’90)
Organizers of the above events are required to submit entry sheets for their events to CSA, as well as the Levy (levy is calculated on the race entry), within six weeks after each event. A penalty of 10% per month will be charged for late payment.

COMPETITOR AND COMPETITION BYELAW

(Approved by the CSA Board on 9th June 2006)

COMPETITORS AND AGE CATEGORIES
NB: These rules are supplementary to the normal ICF rules for the discipline concerned and should
they conflict with the ICF rules, these rules will take precedence.

Competitors
Only members of clubs affiliated to a Provincial Union which is a member of CSA and International visitors that have proof of registration in their own country, have the right to take part in official races organized by a member, club or Union of CSA. [June 06]

Age Categories
Age categories for paddlers are defined as follows:

Guppy (competitor must compete in standard guppy class boats):
U/10 up to & including the year he/she turns 10 years
U/12 up to & including the year he/she turns 12 years
A standard Guppy class boat must not be less than 10 kilograms in weight, have a minimum width of
500mm, a maximum length of 4100mm, and have buoyancy at both ends. No small cockpits are allowed [Dec00]
Junior: U/14 up to & including the year he/she turns 14 years
U/16 up to & including the year he/she turns 16 years
U/18 up to & including the year he/she turns 18 years
U/21 up to & including the year he/she turns 21 years

Senior: Open

Sub-Veteran: 35 – 39 commencing on 1 Jan of the year in which he/she turns 35

Veteran: 40 – 44 commencing on 1 Jan of the year in which he/she turns 40. [Dec02]

Sub-Master: 45 – 49 commencing on 1 Jan of the year in which he/she turns 45. [Dec02]

Master: 50 – 54 commencing on 1 Jan of the year in which he/she turns 50. [Dec02]

Sub Grand Master: 55 – 59 commencing 1stJan of the year in which he/she turns 55. [Dec02]

Grand Master 1: 60 – 64 commencing on 1 Jan of the year in which he/she turns 60. [Dec02]

Grand Master 2: 65 – 69 commencing on 1 Jan of the year in which he/she turns 65. [June 06]

In the age-groups over 18 years – with the exception of the Senior class, where the medal/prize winners can come from any age group without this affecting their standings in their own age-group, medals and prizes must be awarded as per the paddler’s/combination’s actual age-group. If a paddler wants to race in a higher sub-class he must state this before the start and forfeit his rights in his natural class. e.g. If a Master(40-45) elects to race in the Sub-Veteran(35-40) age group he/she will forfeit their rights to awards in the Masters age-group but if they won the whole race overall they would receive the Senior medals/prizes and the Sub-Veterans medals/prizes but not the Master’s ones [Dec 03]
In Junior age-groups (U18 years) the U18 class shall act as the “open” class and may be won by a younger paddler/combination without this affecting their standings in their own age-group. In the younger age-groups medals and prizes must be awarded as per the paddler’s/combination’s actual age-group. If a paddler wants to race in a higher sub-class he must state this before the start and forfeit his rights in his natural class. e.g. An U14 electing to race in the U16 age group will forfeit the right to medals and prizes in the U14 age-group, if however this U14 were to win the junior race overall he/she would receive both the U18 and U16 medals and prizes but not the U14 ones. [Dec 03]

Starting at SA Championships and Major Events
In SA River Championships, and other major events where applicable, the starting arrangements should be made to suit the venue and the circumstances in consultation with the CSA Marathon Chairman. The principal that should be used is that the first batch or seeded rows, if only one batch is used, should consist of the top competitors from all the different classes. When considered appropriate or when the numbers dictate the Junior classes can be started separately. The ladies should always be started separately in a way which will not allow assistance to be gained from other classes. If necessary the rule which prevents riding the wave of boats in other classes can be enforced [Dec02][July 05] If a lady paddler or crew elect not to start in their own separate start they will exclude themselves from
being eligible for the ladies category. The starts of the second and subsequent stages of the race must be in the form of an elapsed time start. The time span of the start must be sufficient to cover at least the first 30 boats and never be shorter than 30 minutes. Wherever possible the women’s race should have its own elapsed time start . Where elapsed time starts are used the ladies should be started in such a way which will not allow assistance to be gained from other classes. This could be by only allowing elapsed time amongst the men on merit and/or if necessary the rule which prevents riding the wave of boats in other classes being enforced. [Dec02] Separate category starts must be made for SA flatwater marathon events, for seniors, veterans, masters, ladies and juniors. The different Veteran and master age groups should be grouped together if numbers are lower than 25. The format and seeding for other races should be based on the National Grading System. [Dec02]

Seeding
Seeding and batching for SA River Championships and all other major River races where seeding or more than one start batch is required with strong interprovincial representation must be done using the National Grading System for K1s and K2s.. This must be updated after every designated ranking event and published in all CSA media, including the CSA website, and any other relevant websites. [Dec02]

Using the Grand Prix events as the base an initial National Ladder be established. Any paddler who did no GP races in the year prior to setup will start at 175%.
The ladder will be used very strictly to batch day 1 of all races where batching is required. This ladder will be based on the paddlers percentage of the winners time averaged over his best three results, or his only three results or only two results or only result in the year prior to the establishment date.
In the case of K2’s, each paddler in the combination will take the same percentage as his/her personal percentage on the ladder. There will be no separate K1 and K2 ladders. However, K1 and K2 race percentages are considered separately.
When a K2 enters a race the individual ladder percentages will be averaged to get the combinations percentage for seeding or batching purposes.
Each race percentage earned will degrade as follows – 1st 90 days = 1%, 2nd 30 days 2%, 3rd 30 days 3%, 4th 30 days 4%, 5th 30 days and thereafter 5% every 30 days.
All races all around the country will be used in the updating of the National Ladder updated on a weekly basis.
If the race is a GP event the results in the main class will stand as they come. However if the race is not a GP event or the class is not the main one in a GP race the winning boat’s starting percentage will be the ceiling for percentages in that race and all other results will be relative to it.
In the case of a race with a restricted entry all the entries will be placed on a ladder created from the National Ladder percentages and priority given to acceptance from the top down. Rejected entries will have their entry fee refunded.
The only cases where manipulation of the batching is allowed is in the case of visiting paddlers and the final seeding within the first batch at races and where seeding trials are held for the starting positions within the first batch.
If a paddler wishes to drop a race from their National Ladder calculation for sweeping or beginner assistance reasons they may apply to the race organizer to be classed as a sweep. If this is acceptable, that race will not count as a grading race. All designated sweeps will be excluded from the grading.
K2 ranking will be determined by combination. Each paddler will therefore have a different K2 ranking with each different partner
All SA River Championship and other major river races requiring seeding and batching must use the ranking ladder for batching. All age-groups and both sexes will be ranked according to overall performance.
Combinations and K1 paddler’s who do not take part in ranking races will not be seeded and will be batched randomly at the back of the field, except that International paddlers may be catered for separately and A Graded paddlers in K2 combinations that have not raced together before in ranking races will be ranked as a combination by averaging their current K1 ranking percentages.
Races to be used for ranking: SA Flat Marathon Champs (Senior Race only), Berg, Breede, Fish, Lowveld Croc, 50 Miler, Vaal, Dusi, Umko and Drakensberg Challenge.
Any other race wishing to be used must apply to be allocated status of national ranking event and will only be approved after the event if it had participation from at least three boats from the top 103% of the current ranking list at the time in the class to be used for ranking.
Percentage of the winners time will be used as the marker, K1’s and K2’s separately. The only single result, an average of the only two results, an average of the only three results, or an average of the best three results will be used for each boat. The last 12 months races will be used .i.e. last year’s Fish will count for this years Fish after which it will fall away and this years Fish will be the most recent race used – and so on.

If seeding is required which falls outside of that provided for by the National Grading System (e.g. for a flatwater marathon event), then it is to be done by the National Selectors. Unions are to submit their
nomination timeously, two weeks before the event. [Dec02]

K2 COMBINATIONS AT SA AND MAJOR EVENTS
It is understood that with a mixed age category team in a K2 one can paddle up in class, but never down class.
Mixed Provincial crews (i.e. paddlers from different Unions) may compete in SA K2 marathon events, and are eligible for medal awards, but are not eligible for team points and team awards.
Mixed Provincial crews are eligible for seedings.
In sprint events mixed provincial K2 & K4 crews are allowed and points are shared between two provinces.
In marathon events mixed doubles (male/female) are eligible for prizes as a mixed double and only in a male only class provided that separate start requirements do not dictate that they cannot be in both
classes. If separate starts or seeding are required the combination will be required to nominate which
category they will be in.

ORGANISATION AND REGULATIONS FOR SA CHAMPIONSHIP AND MAJOR EVENTS
The date and venue of SA Championship events should be announced at least six months before the event is to take place. Details as per invitations in the ICF rules to be included with the entry form and sent to each union at least one month before the event.
Organizers of SA Championship events are required to submit timeously a proposed budget for the event if they wish to charge an entry fee in excess of 50% of the current senior CSA affiliation fee per paddle per day. [Dec02]). Entry fees for Juniors may not exceed 2/3rds of the senior entry fee, and are recommended at 50% of the senior entry fee. [Nov 99] In the case of a K2 entry, the event organisers may accept the late replacement of an entrant, provided that satisfactory proof of medical illness or other unforeseen circumstance is provided in writing to the organisers. The replacement entrant must meet all the proficiency and qualification criteria. The race organisers may charge a fee not exceeding 10% of the race entry fee for accepting the change of entry.
Any Province/Club organizing a South African Championship or SA Grand Prix event must present
results to CSA and all Unions within 48 hours following the event.
A race organizer may request a medical doctor to examine a paddler, and if the doctor’s opinion is that the paddler would be at risk if he paddled, then the organizers are empowered to stop the paddler from paddling.
The venues of SA events will be decided by the CSA Board on the recommendation of the discipline
committees. Where appropriate the venue should rotate around the country.
SA Flatwater [Sprint] Racing, Canoe Polo and all team events at Championships will only be held on an inter-Provincial basis.
Persons must qualify to become Officials and a minimum of three [3] qualified Officials must be used at all SA Championship events. The competition committee for SA Championship events should be approved by the discipline chairman and include one member that is not from the host province.

COMPETITION CLOTHING AT SOUTH AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS
Paddlers are to paddle in Club/Provincial colours.

JURY AND COMPETITION COMMITTEE
Final authority at SA events shall rest with a Jury of at least three [3] qualified members appointed by the organizers prior to the event. In so far as it is possible at SA events all participating Provinces should be represented by one person. The Chief Official and Competition Committee are subordinate to the Jury.
In all SA events, each Province should be asked, by the host Union, to nominate a qualified Official to
serve on the Jury. If no nomination is received with the entries of the Union, the host Union may nominate Officials, to bring the number of Jury members up to not less than three. (Aug. ’90)
The jury shall:

Hear any appeals which may be received and settle any disputes that may arise as a result of decisions made by the Competition Committee. Such appeals should be made in writing, with the reasons for the appeals and lodged with the Jury Chairman not later than 20 minutes after the competitor or manager has been informed of the decision and signed the receipt. A fee of R50 must accompany the appeal, which will be refunded if the appeal is upheld.
If the competitor involved in the incident is still competing the course, the times for lodging an appeal shall be extended until one hour after either completing the course or withdrawing from the event.
Decisions of race Juries are not subject to appeal and are final, and are subject to review only on the legal grounds upon which administrative decisions are subject to review. Any application to review must be lodged with the Secretary General of CSA within 10 calendar days of the decisions, and the decision of the CSA Board thereon shall be final.
At events other than SA Championships, where no jury is in place, appeals should be considered by the province in which the event is held.

The Competition Committee, consisting of the chief official, the Technical Organiser and one additional Official, shall:

Decide matters concerning disqualification in cases where the regulations have been broken during the competition. The decision of the Competition Committee shall be based on the ICF Rules. Penalties in accordance with the ICF Statutes may also be imposed (i.e. disqualification for a longer period than the duration of the competition in question);
Before any decision is made regarding an alleged infraction of the rules, hear the opinion of the official/s who were in control of the race, if it is felt to be of importance in clearing up the alleged offence.

The Competition Committee may disqualify any competitor who behaves improperly or who, by his conduct or speech shows contempt towards the officials, other competitors or onlookers. A protest made during a competition relating to an incident in the race must be made in writing and within one hour of competing the course, and be accompanied by a fee of R50 which shall be refunded if the
protest is upheld.

TEAM AWARDS AND POINTS AT SA CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS
Marathon Racing
Any paddler may be nominated for a team from within the categories which start together, i.e. not necessarily an Open male.
In national events the team award will be the total time of the first four nominated paddlers [K1]; and the first two nominated boats [K2] from each Province, irrespective of which team they were nominated for.[May ’89] For a team to be included in the results it must have consisted of selected paddlers at the start of the race.[May ’89]

Flatwater [Sprint] Racing
Points to be awarded per boat :
K1 : 20, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
K2 : 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2
K4 : 20, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
In events where fewer than 9 entrants are involved the winner gets points equal to the number of entrants confirmed at the team leaders meeting, working from the lower end of the scale.
In sprint events mixed provincial K2 & K4 crews are allowed and points are shared between the provinces.
The paddler with the highest points the K1 & K2 categories will be awarded victor/victrix ludorum medal.
The Province with the highest points including K4 points will be the winning Province.

Slalom and Wildwater Racing – ICF rules to apply.

MEDAL ISSUE
At the discretion of the Discipline Committees with the attached schedule as a guide.
If a nominated provincial team or paddler does not attend the prize-giving at a national or major event, the team or paddler shall forfeit the medals, unless satisfactory prior arrangements were made with the organizing body. [Nov. ’90]

ANTIDOPING – as per SASCOC and ICF/WADA Directives

SA `WILLEM VAN RIET’ CANOEING GRAND PRIX SERIES
The Grand Prix Series will consist of the following events:
Dusi Canoe Marathon – K1/K2
Umkomaas Marathon – K2
Berg River Canoe Marathon – K1
SA Marathon Championships – K1 and K2
SA Sprints (Dec 00)
50-Miler [opposite to Dusi] Breede River Canoe Marathon – K2
SA K1 River Championships – K1
SA K2 River Championships – K2
World Marathon Cup – K1 and K2
World Marathon Champs – K1 and K2
Fish Marathon – [same as Dusi} (Dec03)
Lowveld Croc – K1 (Dec 04)
Vaal Marathon – K2 (Dec 04)
Drak Challenge – K1 (Dec 04)

The trophy will be awarded to the paddler earning the most points from his best five results out of the
above events.
The competition will be run in the senior men, senior women, junior boys and junior girls categories. The series culminates in the winner being awarded the Willem van Riet trophy to the senior men’s champion, and trophies to the other category winners, and any other prizes that are available through sponsorship of the Grand Prix from time to time. The marathon committee shall formulate the rules for the distribution of Grand Prix prize monies or prizes.

Points scored will be as follows:
K1 Points – The first twenty canoeists score points beginning with 1 point for number 20, increasing with 1 point per position up to the top three positions. Here special recognition is given with two extra points to third position, three extra points to second and four extra points to first position.
K2 Points – K2’s points are spread in such a way that the equivalent individual position in a K2 race
corresponds more or less to the same K1 position. For example, the third K2 represents the 5th and 6th individual canoeist in the race and scores 16 points, the same as the 5th canoeist in a K1 race.

Pos	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
K1	26	22	19	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
K1	24	19	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2

Results in the international events (World Marathon Cup and Championships) earn 150% of the above points.

Please download the document (at the top of the page) for a full list of medals)

NEW QUALIFYING AND SEEDING RULES

The new rules were passed at the CSA Executive meeting on 10th July 2005, the degredation of
percentages was changed to 3 months and the use of the best boat’s starting percentage in a non GP
class instead of that of the winning boat, just before the SA K1 Tracker Highlands race in 2006.. The new rules are below – read carefully and make sure you realise the ramifications. Basically – 1. Proficiency testing is as before. 2. CR and BR ratings have been combined. 3. K1’s and K2’s are treated equally. 4. A beginner requires 6 river races to get to AR and all the major races are now at least A Class. 5. For AR paddlers the points system is out. 6. All races will be seeded by using the National Ladder. 7. Your percentage on the national ladder degrades with time – so if you want a good seeding you will have to race a lot.

Read on:-
Proficiency and Race Qualification

New padders are required to complete the Flatwater Proficiency Test before being permitted to enter any race. They are then required to complete a minimum of three Flatwater races or club time trials before completing the River Proficiency Test.
The three Flatwater races or dices may be replaced by trips co-ordinated by the paddler’s club Safety Officer. This is to be done at the discretion of and under the strict control of the signing Safety Officer
Once the paddler has passed the River Proficiency test they will become CBR rated and permitted to enter both C and B Class River races.
The paddler will then be required to complete six C or B Class river races within 175%, or a lower percentage to be decided upon by the Union Safety Officer, of winners time before attaining an AR rating and being permitted to enter A Class River race
All testing is to be done by the Club or Union Safety Officers or their designated assistants. The tests as set out in the CSA Safety Booklet (and KNCU handbooks) are to be strictly adhered to and conducted in a formal and responsible manner.
The signing Safety Officers signing the CBR proficiency must inform the new paddlers that it is advisable to do a balance of events graded from easy to difficult through the 6 races prior to the attaining of an AR rating. They should explain the dangers of B and A rivers and the need to progress and learn progressively on increasingly more difficult stretches of river. Paddlers should try not to rely only on easy C grade stretches for qualification and it is strongly recommended that paddlers do as some B river races as part of their 6 river qualification event
AR rated paddlers must have completed a minimum of three A Class races before being permitted to enter A+ Class race
A paddler will never lose their AR rating. After an absence of three years a CBR rated paddler will lose their race credits an have to complete all six C or B class races again before attaining an AR rating
In these rules the front and back paddlers in a K2 are treated equally. Only whole races count not each leg separately.

RIVER SECTION RATINGS
These are listed in Appendix A of the CSA Safety Booklet
Notwithstanding these river section ratings the following races have an A Class rating:-
Berg Marathon, Breede Marathon, Fish Marathon, Vaal Marathon, 50 Miler, Dusi Marathon, Drak Challenge, Orange River Marathon.
And, the following races have an A+ Class rating:- Lowveld Croc Marathon, Umkomaas Marathon, Tugela Marathon, Ithala Challenge, Bushmans to Weenan Road, Hella-Hella to Josephines Bridge, Josephines Bridge to Riverside.

SEEDING and BATCHING

In SA River Championships, and other major events where applicable, the starting arrangements should be made to suite the venue and the circumstances in consultation with the CSA Marathon Chairman. When considered appropriate or when the numbers dictate the Junior classes can be started separately. The ladies should always be started separately in a way which will not allow assistance to be gained from other classes. If necessary the rule which prevents riding the wave of boats in other classes can be enforced [Dec02].
Seeding and batching for SA River Championships and all other races where seeding or more than one start batch is required must be done using the National Grading System for K1s and K2s. This must be updated weekly and published in all CSA media, including the CSA website, and any other relevant websites. Using the Grand Prix events as the base an initial National Ladder was established on 1st August 2005. Any paddler who did no GP races in the year prior to setup started at 175%.

From 1st January 2007 separate K1 and K2 ladders will be used.

The ladders will be used very strictly to batch day 1 of all races where batching is required. This ladder will be based on the paddlers percentage of the winners time averaged over his best three results, or his only three results or only two results or only result in the previous year.
In the case of K2’s, each paddler in the combination will take the same percentage to his/her personal percentage on the ladder. There will be separate K1 and K2 ladders and K1 and K2 race percentages are considered separately.
When a K2 enters a race the individual ladder percentages will be averaged to get the combinations percentage for seeding or batching purposes. Firstly each paddlers K1 and K2 ladder percentages will be examined and the best taken to the averaging process. This also means that a paddler in a K2 combination who has no previous K2 ladder percentage will have his K1 ladder percentage used. However in the case of a K1 entrant who has no previous K1 ladder percentage, he/she will take a percentage of 175 to this first race and any K2 ladder percentage that he/she may have will not be considered.
Each race percentage earned will degrade as follows with effect from 22nd October 2006 – 1st 9 months = 1%, 10th month 2%, 11th month 3%, 12th month 4%.
All races all around the country will be used in the updating of the National Ladder on a weekly basis.
If the race is a GP event the results in the main class will stand as they come with the winner taking 100% to their ladder percentage. However if the race is not a GP event or the class is not the main one in a GP race the finishing boat with the best starting percentage will be the ceiling for percentages in that race and all other results will be relative to it.
In the case of a race with a restricted entry all the entries will be placed on a ladder created from the National Ladder percentages and priority given to acceptance from the top down. Rejected entries will have their entry fee refunded.
The only cases where manipulation of the batching is allowed is in the case of visiting paddlers and the final seeding within the first batch at races and where seeding trials are held for the starting positions within the first batch.
If a paddler wishes to drop a race from their National Ladder calculation for sweeping or beginner assistance reasons they may apply to the race organizer to be classed as a sweep. If this is acceptable, that race will not count as a grading race. All designated sweeps will be excluded from the grading.

ADVERTISING RULES AND REGULATIONS

6. ADVERTISING – CANOEING SOUTH AFRICAN EVENTS
6.1. Race organizers must stipulate any specific requirements or exclusions regarding advertising clearly, and in detail, as part of their Race/Event Rules. All sanctions and ramifications of non compliance to the specific rules must also be clearly stated.
6.2 The paddler by entering the race/event accepts these stipulated conditions and must abide by them.
6.3 It is the responsibility of the Race Organizers to enforce the rules of their races and impose sanctions.
6.4 The above (advertising issues) will not impact or be the responsibility of CSA nor those juries and officials appointed for the governance of SA Championship events.
6.5 All advertising material must be placed in such a way that it does not interfere with competitors’ identification and does not affect the outcome of the race.

SAFETY REGULATIONS BYELAW

(Approved by the CSA Board on 9th June 2006)

The Safety Standards set by CSA, published in the CSA Safety Booklet and amended from time to time shall be binding upon all paddlers taking part in events run under the auspices of CSA.
The wearing of kayaking jackets is compulsory at all CSA sanctioned flat-water events and on all classes of river.
Exceptions to this rule will be provided for where it is considered that kayaking jackets are either not appropriate. e.g. at sprint events and SA and Provincial Marathon Championships etc when safety boats are provided or not necessary e.g. at K4 events and on certain dices and marathon events. Unions that have events that they wish to be exempt are to apply to the CSA Safety Chairman for exemption.
Paddlers of small cockpit boats, e.g. white water boats and plastic boats, must wear kayaking jackets and helmets at all times.
The Provincial Safety Officer may exempt all paddlers, in open cockpit boats, from wearing kayaking jackets when water is very low. A report on all incidents when this exemption has been made must be submitted to the CSA Safety Officer on a monthly basis.

Proficiency and Race Qualification

New padders are required to complete the Flatwater Proficiency Test before being permitted to enter any race. They are then required to complete a minimum of three Flatwater races or club time trials before completing the River Proficiency Test.
The three Flatwater races or dices may be replaced by trips co-ordinated by the paddlers club Safety Officer. This is to be done at the discretion of and under the strict control of the signing Safety Officer
Once the paddler has passed the River Proficiency test they will become CBR rated and permitted to enter both C and B Class River races.
The paddler will then be required to complete six C or B Class river races within 175%, or a lower percentage to be decided upon by the Union Safety Officer, of winners time before attaining an AR rating and being permitted to enter A Class River races.
All testing is to be done by the Club or Union Safety Officers or their designated assistants. The tests as set out in the CSA Safety Booklet are to be strictly adhered to and conducted in a formal and responsible manner.
The signing Safety Officers are to monitor the new paddlers progress through the 6 races prior to the attaining of an AR rating and to advise on a balance of events graded from easy to difficult. If the Safety Officer is not satisfied with the paddler’s progress they may intervene via their Union to delay the attaining of the AR status until the required skills have been acquired by the paddler.
AR rated paddlers must have completed a minimum of three A Class races before being permitted to enter A+ Class races.
A paddler will never loose their AR rating. After an absence of three years a BR rated paddler will loose their race credits an have to complete all six C or B class races again before attaining an AR rating.
In these rules the front and back paddlers in a K2 are treated equally. In order for a multi day race to count as a qualifier the full race must be completed but when completed each day will count as a qualifying race.

RIVER SECTION RATINGS
These are listed in Appendix A (Please download the document at the top of the page)
Notwithstanding these river section ratings the following races have an A Class rating:-
Berg Marathon, Fish Marathon, Vaal Marathon, 50 Miler, Dusi Marathon, Drak Challenge, Orange River Marathon.

SELECTION AND NATIONAL COLOURS BYELAW

(Approved by the CSA Board on 9th June 2006)

TRIALS AND SELECTION
Nominees for trials will be nominated at Provincial level. Only competitors who are considered to be of a suitable standard to achieve selection should be nominated by the Union concerned.
Selection criteria should be set and announced well in advance, i.e. size of teams, trial format, selection policy, etc. [Nov. ’93] When selecting teams for World Championships, performances in other trials, SA events and international events can be taken into account if considered necessary. (Nov. ’93)
The decision of the selectors will be final and no correspondence on selections should be entered into
between individual paddlers or their unions. (Nov. ’93)
At all trials the selectors are empowered to disqualify a nominee.
If a paddler has any illness which may impact on performance in the trials, the convenor of the selectors must be notified immediately the illness occurs, with a supporting medical report or certificate. In such instances, the convenor of the selectors reserves the right to refer the paddler to a CSA appointed medical officer in the paddlers province.
Altitude will be taken into account when considering the venue for trials. (Nov. ’93)
Once selected, the paddler must abide by any requirements laid down for the team by the sub committee in question. Should he/she fail to comply he/she must be withdrawn from, or replaced in, the team, whichever may be applicable. (Apr. 97)

Eligibility for selection at trials:

In order to be eligible for selection at trials, the paddler must comply with the ICF eligibility requirements and/or the IOC requirement if applicable. (Apr. 97)
In exceptional circumstances, the CSA Board or the Discipline Chairman may require the selectors to select a team without formal trials, if it should be necessary to do so. This may be done without any prior warning. This applies to all facets of canoeing.

SELECTORS
A canoeist who actively participates in any trial or SA Championship event in the category to be selected should not be nominated as a National Selector.
A marathon Selector may not take part in any Marathon trial. A Selector could paddle a Sprint trial, as the venue was static.
The duty of the Selection Committee shall be the selection of any team or teams to represent South Africa following instructions received from the Standing Committee and approved by the Management Committee.

NATIONAL AWARDS
Competitors should be awarded National Colours provided they have been selected as members or a coach or a Manager of a team to a junior or senior World Championships. All senior and juniors Protea colours awards are subject to approval by SASCOC.
Competitors may be awarded Federation colours provided they have been selected as members or a coach or a manager of a team for a World Cup, or any other international event, either in South Africa or overseas.
Officials selected to accompany teams representing South Africa may wear the official colours of the Federation, provided that their official capacity is stated on the badge (coach/manager).

DISCIPLINARY BYELAW

(Approved by the CSA Board on 9th June 2006)

In accordance with Clause 35 of the CSA Constitution, the following By-Law is adopted by the Canoeing South Africa Board.
This Disciplinary By-Law sets out the procedure for dealing with disciplinary actions by Canoeing South Africa.

DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

The disciplinary measures of CSA are:
a) Caution
b) Reprimand
c) Cash fine, or admission of guilt fine
d) Disqualification
e) Exclusion of some or all members of a Club/Provincial Union from participation in internal competitions and SA Championship events
f) Suspension
g) Expulsion

1. Disciplinary measures a-d and (e) up to a maximum of 3 months in respect of contravention of safety regulators or abusive behaviour towards an official, may be taken by race Juries as well as the Board, the Provincial Unions in respect to members of a particular province or a specific disciplinary body to deal with disciplinary matters set up by CSA or Provincial Union as applicable. Disciplinary measures e-g other than mentioned above for e may only be taken by the CSA Board. The Board shall retain jurisdiction and power to take any disciplinary measures in addition to any measures taken by the race jury.

2. Race Juries for National Championships are appointed by the Chairman of the Technical Committee from nominations made by provincial Unions, and should consist of at least three persons. Race Juries for all other events are appointed by the Organising Club or Provincial Union.

3. Decisions of Race Juries are not subject to appeal and are final, and are subject to review only on the legal grounds upon which administrative decisions are subject to review. Any application to review must be lodged with the Secretary General of CSA within 10 calendar days of the decisions, and the decision of the Board thereon shall be final.

4. Each of CSA and Provincial Union, CSA Board and CSA Technical Committees may, upon the application of any Club or Provincial Union, or upon its own initiative, initiate disciplinary procedures. Disciplinary hearings are to be conducted by a disciplinary committee of three persons, at least one of whom is a legal professional, appointed by the Board’s Legal Matters representative.

5. The disciplinary committee shall have the power to determine its own procedures but subject always thereto that the athlete against whom the procedures have been adopted shall have the right to be heard and shall have the right to legal representation. The disciplinary committee shall thereupon make a finding within three days of the hearing. That finding shall be final and binding, unless a complainant lodges a written appeal to the Secretary-General within two days. Upon notification of such an appeal, the Board shall appoint an Appeal Committee, comprising a minimum of three person, all with a legal background. The decision of this Appeal Committee will be final.

6. In the event of disciplinary measures a-e being taken by a union the relevant union shall inform CSA Secretary General thereof. CSA Secretary General shall inform all Provincial Unions of the disciplinary measures taken by another union, by CSA Executive or by any disciplinary body set up in terms of this Bylaw, and, where appropriate, publish this information in the federation’s internal media (such as the newsletter and/or website).

7. In addition to disciplinary measures being taken by reason of a breach of the race rules or regulations, disciplinary action may also be taken on the following grounds:

a) Interference with, or threats or gestures against, any official or referee
b) Violation by an official or referee of the Constitution and/or Rules
c) Any action by any member, Club or Union of CSA which is contrary to the interests of CSA

8. Race juries may if they wish impose an admission of guilt fine ( to be set at a maximum of 4 times the current the current CSA affiliation fee) for contravention of safety regulations or abusive behaviour towards an official. A second offence in this category within 12 months of the previous one must be considered by the relevant disciplinary body and if the competitor is found guilty a suspension of up to 12 months is recommended.

9. For offences which contravene the ICF and WADA Doping regulations that take place in domestic events the following modifications to the ICF and WADA doping regulations will apply:

a) In the case of rule 8.1 the “disciplinary panel” will be a disciplinary committee set up by the Board of CSA. This disciplinary committee will make recommendations to the Board regarding the case and the penalty to be applied.

b) In the case of appeals in terms of 13.2.2 an appeals hearing will be set up by the CSA Board. All other appeals would be in terms of the WADA Anti-doping code.

Pos	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
K1	26	22	19	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
K1	24	19	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2

Pos	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
K1	26	22	19	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
K1	24	19	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2

Pos	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
K1	26	22	19	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1
K1	24	19	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2