87 INTERNATIONAL DESCENT OF THE SELLA
R.F.E.P. International Competition
ICF 2025 Canoe Marathon World Series

Arriondas – Ribadesella
Saturday, 9th August 2025
REGULATION

Rules | Annexes

1. ORGANISATION

Organizing Committee of the International Descent of the Sella (CODIS).

COMPETITION COMMITTEE

The highest authority in the competition lies with the Competition Committee, which is made up of three Officials:
- The Chief Judge
- The Competition Director appointed by the R.F.E.P. or, by delegation, by the Regional Federation where the competition takes place
- An Official appointed by the local organizer
At least two members of the Competition Committee must be referees holding a valid sports license.

2. RULES

This competition will be governed by the rules contained in these Regulations and, for the sporting part, by the ICF Marathon Regulations (as it is a competition of the Marathon World Series 2025), as well as the RFEP's River and Marathon Regulations.
In case of conflict between regulations, the decision of CODIS shall prevail, provided that it does not contravene the RFEP and ICF regulations.

3. TIMETABLE OF THE EVENT

The official start will be at 12:00h on 9th August 2025.

4. PARTICIPATION

The event is open to Spanish and foreign paddlers who are in possession of the required competition license for the current year, authorized by their respective national federations.

5. CATEGORIES AND MODALITIES

The following categories are considered:

6. STARTING ORDER AND DRAW

6.1. STARTING ORDER

The order of placement at the start will be by categories, with those with a finish line in Ribadesella coming first, followed by the categories with a finish line in Llovio.

Ribadesella Finish Line

The following categories and types of boats will finish in Ribadesella:

1. Seniors K2, K1, C2, C1 (men and women).
2. Under 23 K2, K1, C2, C1 (men and women).
3. Juniors K2, K1, C2, C1 (men and women).
4. Mixed (Senior).
5. Veterans 35-50 K-2, K-1, C-2 and C-1 (men and women).
6. SS1 (Men and women).

Llovio Finish Line

The following categories and types of boats will finish in Llovio:

1. Cadets K2, K1, C2, C1 (men and women).
2. Mixed K2 (except senior; single category).
3. Mixed C2 (single category).
4. Men veterans 50-60; 60-70; + 70.
5. Women veterans + 50. 
6. RR (single category men and women).

6.2. Draw

The starting order of the participants will be determined by a computer draw at the Casa de Cultura in Ribadesella from 16:30 hours on Thursday 7th August. The event will be public.

7. TIME TRIAL FOR SEEDS

A time trial will be held in Ribadesella on Thursday 7th August, for the boats that are eligible for this event.

Information on the time trial shall be annexed to these regulations at least one month before the event.

Formation of the seeded teams:
All the canoeists classified in the last edition of the International Descent of the Sella among the first ten K1 and K2 in the finish line of Ribadesella are, by their own right, Seeds, being able to participate either in K2 (with a different component or with the same one) or in K1.

SEEDED BY PLACES:

The members of the National Teams of the different countries, who are registered as such by their respective Federations, as well as those designated by the Spanish Autonomous Federations, will also be seeded, being able to register one K1 and one K2 Senior per Country/Autonomous Federation, except for the exceptions that the Organising Committee (CODIS) may establish.

8. START

The boats shall be positioned completely out of the water, with the bows as close to the water as possible and the paddlers on land, in front of the metal structure (stocks) on which they shall place the paddles.

The clamps will be closed fifteen minutes before the official start (11.45 a.m.) and no paddler will be allowed to stand in the traps once they have been closed.

At the end of the protocol ceremony (start in verse by the town crier and the chant of "Asturias Patria Querida"), the judge will give the start by changing the lights of the traffic lights on the shore, which until then had been red, to green, at which point the clamps will be opened, releasing the paddles. At the same time the cannon of the Sella will be fired.

It is strictly forbidden to practice in the start area during the hour before the official start. Any boat that fails to comply with this rule will be disqualified from the competition, even if it has started and completed the course. Grounds for disqualification include: warming up in the water before the start, failing to keep the boat out of the water, not having the paddle in the rack, and starting before the official signal.

9. ROUTE

- Route A: Section of the river Sella between Arriondas and Ribadesella’s bridges (20 km).
- Route B: Section of the River Sella between Arriondas and Llovio railway’s bridges (15 km).

10. ARRIVAL

The finish line will be located under the arch of the Ribadesella bridge, signposted with the corresponding finish line sign (20 Km). Route A.

The categories cadets, veterans over 50 years old, mixed (except senior K2) and RR type boats have as their finish line the Llovio railway bridge (15 km). Route B.

Boats finishing at the Llovio railway bridge can continue to the finish line in Ribadesella and be included in the general classification.

11. DORSAL NUMBERS

The dorsal numbers can be collected by the delegates of the clubs on Friday 8th August, from 9am to 2pm and from 4pm to 8pm at the Javier Hernanz Municipal Sports Centre in Arriondas. On Saturday the 9th, they will be handed out from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Casa de Cultura in Arriondas.

12. RANKING AND SCORING

There are individual, Club, Autonomy and Nation rankings.
The general rankings of the boats that enter into control at both the finish line in Ribadesella and Llovio are also published.

Nations Ranking.
The ranking by Nations will be made taking into account the time of the first two boats of each national team that reach the finish line in Ribadesella.

Ranking of Autonomous Federations.
The ranking by regional federations will be based on the time of the first two boats of each regional team to reach the finish line in Ribadesella.

Club rankings.
The first 100 boats of each category and modality that enter in control time will score:

• • The 1st will get 100 points plus 5 bonus points (105).
• • The 2nd will get 99 points plus 3 bonus points (102).
• • The 3rd will get 98 points plus 1 bonus point (99).
• • From this position backwards they will decrease one by one without bonus.

13. CONTROL TIME

It is 30 minutes for both goals, starting from the arrival of the first boat of each category.

13. REGISTRATION

Registrations must be made through a club or through the regional or national federation for regional or national teams.

The registration of combined boats (paddlers from different clubs/regional federations, in double boats) must be done through the club of one of the paddlers and will not be scored by clubs, regional federations or nations.

The entry fee is €50 per paddler, except for the cadet category which will be €30.

The registration fee includes the following rights:
- • Registration for the competition.
- • Backpack of the 87th International Descent of the Sella.
- • Technical T-shirt of the 87th International Descent of the Sella.
- • Voucher for food at Campos de Oba.
- • Diploma for all paddlers who enter within the control time at the finish line in Ribadesella.

Registration opens on 10th June 2025 and closes on 27th July 2025 at 00:00h for all teams. Registrations by telephone will not be accepted. Registrations can be made through the website www.descensodelsella.com

Registration fees will be paid to CODIS by credit/debit card or paypal, through the registration management website.

The lists of those registered can be consulted on the website www.descensodelsella.com and will be on display at the Javier Hernanz Municipal Sports Centre from 7th August, so that the Club delegates can check the accuracy of the registrations.

15. TECHNICAL MEETING

It will take place on Thursday 7th August, once the time trial of the seeded riders has finished, at the Ribadesella Senior Citizens' Centre.

16. OPENING CEREMONY

The hoisting of the Autonomous flags will take place on Wednesday, August 6th, at 13.30 h on the podium at the finish line in Ribadesella. This ceremony is open to all paddlers who wish to participate.

The Opening Ceremony, with the hoisting of national flags, will take place on Friday 8th August at 19:00 hours, starting at the Arriondas Town Hall Square. This will be followed by the raising of the flags of the participating countries. This Ceremony is open to all paddlers who wish to participate.

17. AWARDS

Ribadesella podium

Medals and monteras will be awarded to the first three boats classified in K1 and K2, men and women, as well as the first three C1 and C2 men and women on the podium in Ribadesella, immediately after their arrival at the finish line.

The winners must stand on the podium unaccompanied and wearing the official competition clothing, including the official race number.

Llovio podium

The general prize-giving ceremony for the paddlers classified in the first three places in the different categories and modalities, as well as for the first three clubs, regional federations and nations will take place from 5 p.m. at the Campos de Oba (Llovio).

It is compulsory to stand on the podium, unaccompanied and wearing the official clothing of each team (competition or street clothes; in the case of double boats, the paddlers must wear the same type of clothing).

The financial prizes for paddlers and clubs will be published as an annex to the regulations at the end of June.

Prizes will be paid by bank transfer, which will be sent at a later date.

18. DOPING CONTROL

Anti-doping controls in accordance with national and international regulations may be carried out on any participating paddler.

19. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION

This competition shall be governed by the rules set out in these regulations and, in cases not provided for, by the general and technical and river and marathon regulations of the RFEP and the International Canoe Federation (ICF).

20. RESULTS

The results will be displayed on the information panels that the organisers will have installed at the prize-giving ceremony in the Campos de Oba.

21. COMPLAINTS

Any complaints that may arise during the competition must be submitted in writing to the chief judge and addressed to the Competition Committee, accompanied by the payment of 75 €, up to 30 minutes after the results have been published. The Committee will be located in the organisation's office in the Campos de Oba.

Furthermore, participation in the event implies acceptance of the terms of these regulations and the annexes thereto.

22. RESPONSIBILITIES

The Organising Committee of the International Descent of the Sella is not responsible for any damages that may occur during the development of this competition.

The signatory of the registration form declares, under his/her responsibility, that the athletes included in the registration form are of amateur status, as defined by the ICF, than are able to swim 50 metres with sport clothes and that they have a valid Federative Licence for the practice of canoeing, accepting for themselves and therefore exonerating the organisers of the event, both in fact and in law, of all responsibilities that could be derived from their participation in the International Descent of the Sella, both in their people and boats, automobiles of all types and accessories, before, during and after the event, formally renouncing any claim against the organisers, which in law could correspond to them.

The request to participate in this event implies full acceptance of the Rules contained in these Regulations.

23. AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF THE REGULATION

The C.O.D.I.S. has the right to:
- • Make changes to these rules at any time.
- • Take disciplinary action against any competitor who does not abide by these rules.
- • Accept or reject any registration.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Athletes in the cadet category are reminded that wearing an approved buoyancy aid is mandatory.

The Competition Committee reserves the right to require all participants to wear a life jacket, depending on the water level of the Sella River.

WARNING

CODIS reserves the right to make changes to this Regulation, for technical or budgetary reasons, until 10th June 2025, as long as they do not contravene RFEP and ICF regulations.

Arriondas 1st May 2025
THE PRESIDENT

Juan Manuel Feliz

Rules | Annexes

ANNEX I

This annex complements Section 7 of the COMPETITION RULES.

• The time trial will take place in the estuary of Ribadesella on Thursday, August 7, starting at 12:00 PM.
• The starting point is San Román Bridge in Llovio, with the finish line at Ribadesella Bridge. The approximate distance is 4,000 meters.
• The time trial course is free route along the Sella riverbed, with the mandatory requirement of leaving La Boticaria Island on the right-hand side.
• Bib numbers for the time trial must be collected in Llovio, 30 minutes before the event.
• This time trial is reserved for senior men K-1 and K-2 seeded paddlers.
• All other senior men K-1 and K-2 boats may also request to participate in the time trial when registering. They will compete for two available spots in K-1 and two in K-2 to join the seeded group. The remaining participants will be entered into a computer-generated draw within the senior men K-1 and K-2 categories.
• This time trial will determine the starting order of the seeded senior men K-1 and K-2.
• Seeded paddlers who do not take part in the time trial will be included in the computer draw for this initial start group but ranked after those already designated through the time trial.
• The starting order for the remaining participants will be decided via a public computerized draw, held at the Casa de Cultura in Ribadesella at 4:30 PM on Thursday, August 7.

TIME TRIAL EVENT:
Once the registration period has ended, information will be provided regarding the starting order, a map of the course, and the bib numbers of the boats participating in the time trial.
Participants will start every 30 seconds. There will be a 4-minute interval between the K2 and K1 starts.
The use of a river rudder is mandatory during the time trial.

REMINDER:
The bib numbers resulting from the time trial and the draw may be collected by clubs on Friday, August 8, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, at the Municipal Sports Centre of Arriondas.
On Saturday, August 9, bib numbers can be collected from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at the Casa de Cultura of Arriondas.
The technical meeting will take place on Thursday, August 7 at 2:00 PM, at the “Los Más Grandes” Senior Centre (Plaza de Abastos) in Ribadesella.

ANNEX II

MONETARY PRIZES

MONETARY PRIZES FOR THE FIRST FINISHERS AT RIBADESELLA FINISH LINE

Prize money will be paid via bank transfer. No cash payments will be made.
Attendance at the medal ceremony in the Oba Fields (Llovio) is mandatory in order to receive the cash prize.

MONETARY PRIZES FOR CLUB RANKING

The first-place finishers in the SS1 category (both men and women) competing in the race with a Nelo SS1 510 kayak will each receive a Nelo 510 SS1 kayak, provided by the manufacturer Nelo

ANNEX III

STARTING ORDER