What is The World Championships of Paddleboarding?

SAN DIEGO, California - With the 6th annual California Battle of the Paddle quickly approaching (only a few days away), competing athletes and the entire stand up paddleboard community in general are buzzing with excitement.  

There is no doubt that the Battle of the Paddle (B.O.P) has become one of the largest gatherings for SUP racing in the world and that winning the title of this renowned event carries a lot of clout.  However, have you ever stopped to ask yourself which of all the SUP races/events is truly considered the "World Championships of Stand Up Paddle"?

There are quite a few events that can make good arguments for potentially claiming that they are the "World Championships of SUP".  A few, other than Battle of the Paddle, that come to mind and even use the words World, Championships or both in their titles include but are not limited to the ISA Stand Up Paddle World Championships, the Stand Up World Tour & Stand Up World Series, The Hennessey's WPA World Paddle Championships, and the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships.

Other events that grow every year and might also be able to make a case for being the SUP World Championships could include the Carolina Cup, Paddle Royal, the Orange Bowl Paddle Championships and others.

Part of what makes this a difficult question is that there are a variety of SUP styles incorporated into the aforementioned events.  Some are SUP surfing contests while others are downwind races, flat water races, in and out of the surf races, distance races, sprint races, etc.

Keeping all of this in mind, what we want to know is what you think...

What is the "World Championships of Stand Up Paddling" and what types of races/events and race series do stand up paddlers think are the best in this case and why? (please share in the comments below)

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