INDUSTRY NEWSWatersports participation rises in the UK30/05/2023Save articleAround 13.2 million UK adults tried a boating activity in 2022, up 3% from 12.8 million in 2021.SHOW FULLSCREENUK watersports participation risesThe figures are from the Watersports Participation Survey 2022 which shows that more than 10 million people took part in one or more boating activities once or twice in 2022, whilst the number of people taking part more frequently in on water activities remained similar to the previous year (3.2 million).“It is encouraging to see that watersports participation has continued to prove popular with the UK population post the pandemic boom,” said Lesley Robinson, CEO, British Marine.“Paddle sport activities, particularly stand up paddleboarding, which are easily accessible both on the coast and inland waterways, have remained extremely popular with participation figures continuing to rise, however it does appear that the trend is still for more infrequent, experiential participation rather than regular participation.”With the popularity of paddleboarding continuing to increase, British Canoeing has been formally recognised as a National Governing Body for the sport by Sport England and has appointed a new stand up paddleboarding lead for the organisation.“The ongoing growth of stand up paddleboarding has been unprecedented,” said Ashley Metcalfe, CEO British Canoeing, who also warned that more safety measures should be put in place.“Our new status as a recognised body presents us with a great opportunity to develop the discipline further and ensure safety guidance is enhanced for new and experienced paddlers,” he said.The Watersports Participation Survey covers participation from October 2021 to September 2022.The survey is conducted annually by a consortium of marine bodies including British Marine, Royal Yachting Association, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, British Canoeing, Canal and River Trust and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.The core boating activities include small sailboat racing, other small sailboat activities, yacht racing, yacht cruising, power boating, general motor boating/cruising, canal boating, canoeing, rowing/sculling, windsurfing, water skiing and wakeboarding and using personal watercraft.TopicscanoeingIndustry NewspaddleboardingSUPsurveywatersportswatersports participation

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