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Staged on European waters for the first time, the competition proved to be a successful showcase for the next generation of SUP athletes, bringing together young paddlers from 15 countries and confirming the strong development of the discipline across the continent.

The programme included Sprint, Technical and Long Distance races, giving junior athletes the opportunity to compete across different formats and demonstrate speed, control, endurance and tactical awareness. Across the three days of racing, European athletes delivered an outstanding performance, claiming the majority of podium places and winning 13 of the 16 races contested.

Italy was one of the dominant forces of the competition, showing impressive depth across age groups and disciplines. Italian athletes collected victories in Sprint, Technical and Long Distance events, with particularly strong performances in the U16 categories and in the women’s races. Greece and the Netherlands also produced several podium results, while Spain, Germany and Czechia added further European presence among the medal-winning nations.

For the host nation, the event delivered one of the most memorable stories of the weekend. Romania’s Matei Barbu was the standout local athlete, winning gold in both the Sprint U18 Men 100m and the Technical U18 Men 800m. His double victory on home water was a major highlight for the Romanian team and a strong sign of the country’s growing potential in Stand Up Paddling.

Romanian athletes were also visible across the competition programme, reaching finals and fighting in strong international fields. Hosting the event in Bascov gave local athletes the opportunity to compete at international level in front of a home crowd, while also placing Romania at the centre of an important moment for junior SUP development in Europe.

The international dimension of the event was also important. Alongside the strong European representation, athletes from Japan, Peru and Korea were included in the competition, with Japan providing some of the strongest non-European performances of the weekend. This balance between European growth and wider international participation gave the event a clear global perspective.

The success of the Stand Up Paddling Junior International Cup in Bascov also created an important bridge towards the next major SUP event on the Paddle Europe calendar: the 2026 Paddle Europe SUP Championships, which will take place in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece, from 18 to 20 September 2026.

After a strong junior showcase in Romania, the focus will now move to Greece, where Europe’s SUP community will gather again for another major step in the development of the discipline. With strong performances from young athletes, successful organisation and growing participation across the continent, the future of Stand Up Paddling in Europe looks increasingly promising.