Torbay eyes global stage as 2026 SUP World Cup plans take shape

Images: The Happy Snapper

Torbay’s preparations to host the 2026 International SUP World Cup were given a boost at the latest SUPHub English Riviera meeting.

The event, which will be held from 24 to 26 June, is the first time that an ICF Stand Up Paddling (SUP) event of this scale has been held in the UK and the first since Paddle UK was announced as a governing body for the sport in February 2023.

Attendees discussed how the event could benefit local businesses, boost tourism, protect the environment, and support the wider community.

Lyn Spindley, Director of Torbay Hospitality CIC, opened the meeting. She was joined by Brendon Prince, Event Director of the 2026 ICF SUP World Cup: English Riviera and a world-record-holding paddleboarder, who outlined the event's structure and what it could mean for the bay.

Also speaking were Lee Pooley, Director of Recreation and Development at Paddle UK, and Annagail Leaman, founder of consultancy LSS Connect.

Ms Spindley said: "Everybody in this community has the skills, knowledge and ambition to make Torbay the paddleboarding capital of the UK. We just need to get everyone aligned under a single badge to make it happen. It's a culture, a community, and it’s all about economic development and making a better future for Torbay."

The long-term ambition is to establish Torbay as a leading paddleboarding destination, similar to Newquay’s status in the surfing world.

SUPHub has proposed working with Torbay Council to develop signage and infrastructure that would make the area more SUP-friendly. They are encouraging businesses to adopt a 365-day approach to tourism and to download a new digital toolkit, accessed via a QR code, which includes resources for promoting themselves as SUP-friendly.

Above: SUPHub QR code for digital tool kit

Organisers say their vision is rooted in building an economically sustainable future by making better use of Torbay’s existing coastal resources.

Providing national context, Mr Pooley highlighted that almost eight million people took to paddleboards in the UK during 2024. Membership of Paddle UK has grown from 32,000 to 90,000 in just 18 months, and the sport is forecast to continue growing over the next four to five years.

He said: "There was a bidding process, with lots of interest from venues across the UK hoping to host the SUP World Cup in 2026. It was without doubt that the application from Torbay was the strongest we have seen. What came across really strongly was the community. The community was behind this from the start.

"We’re going to have people coming from all over the world to participate, and we want to leave a legacy for SUP tourism."

Mr Prince, who has paddle boarded the entire coastline of the UK, said he firmly believes Torbay offers the best coastline in the country for the sport.

He said: "It’s something that I’ve dreamt of. I’m so glad the bid was good because it took so long to put together."

The World Cup is expected to bring around 1,000 paddleboarders to Torbay, along with approximately 500 supporting team members. Organisers hope the five-day event will transform the bay into a vibrant festival.

Mr Prince added: "We don’t want to just create an event - we want to create the best event. Not only can we create something to be proud of, but we could then put in a bid for the World Championships. We have so much to offer that the first World Cup we hold will just be scratching the surface."

The meeting concluded with a presentation by Ms Leaman on the importance of accessibility.

She highlighted the spending power of disabled households, known as the Purple Pound, which is worth £249bn a year to the UK economy. Despite this, she said few businesses have direct strategies to attract disabled customers.

Ms Leaman said: "Beach accessibility isn't just about beach wheelchairs and matting. It's also about giving people confidence in advance that the extra effort it takes them to get to the beach will be worth it."

She invited attendees to take part in a survey exploring how people with disabilities experience access to beaches and the water’s edge, available at: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bournemouth/beach-access