The addition of three new countries to canoe freestyle’s loftiest world stage is helping make the case that the relatively new sport deserves to become an official Olympic discipline.

Every two years since 1991, the world’s best whitewater canoeists are attracted to celebrate their sport and test their skill against the best in the world at the International Canoe Federation’s Canoe Freestyle World Championships. Pending acceptance as an Olympic discipline, for now, the World Championships represent the pinnacle of competition for canoe freestylers.

Most observers agree the addition of three new countries: Slovenia, India and Argentina, reflects the growing stature and appeal of the sport. ICF Canoe Freestyle Chairman Lluis Rabaneda explained why more and more National Federations are beginning to support canoe freestyle:

I think the most progressive federations recognize that freestyle has a huge potential to be a key discipline for the ICF, especially since the same skills paddlers use in canoeing translate to other Olympic disciplines such as canoe slalom and canoe sprint.

Talking with the athletes at the village tent on the banks of the Isar River, mere steps from the whitewater hole that is the competition venue, there is unanimous and enthusiastic support for the sport and the competition. Representing Argentina on that country’s first foray into freestyle, 26-year-old Pablo Rial, explained he has spent the past three years putting the formal pieces in place to make Argentina’s debut here a reality. “This is the official beginning of canoe freestyle for Argentina,” Rial proudly proclaimed. Teammate Matias Lopez, 21, said competing at Worlds is like “living a dream.”

Hailing from one of the more remote parts of India, represented here this week, Tsering Chotak from Ladakh and Ayodhya Prasad of Uttrakhand are India’s first representatives to Worlds. After scoring the top two results at India’s first ever national team trials, the pair earned their berths to compete at the Worlds and also their first trip outside of India. Experienced canoeists they don’t call themselves freestyle specialist, although they hope to bring skills learned here back to fellow paddlers when they return home.

Known worldwide as a powerhouse in canoe slalom, this is Slovenia’s first entry into freestyle. Tomaz Murko and Bostjan Gomboc were so excited, they arrived in Plattling a day before the rest of their country’s eight-man team. Before discovering kayaking 15 years ago, Murko, 34, was a competitive snowboarder and ski jumper. Gomboc, 40, learned to kayak from his father, who was among the first Slovenians to embrace kayaking when the sport was just being introduced in that country. A longtime playboater, Gomboc is competing in the squirt discipline, something he said he’s been dreaming of doing for a long time though only started practicing four months ago.

At the other end of the experience spectrum is former Slalom Olympian and International Whitewater Hall of Fame inductee Eric “EJ” Jackson. Jackson, 47, who hopes to win his fifth World title in this his tenth Worlds appearance, said the ever changing playing field illustrates the healthy progress of the sport. “It gets harder to make the podium every time,” Jackson said. “The depth of field gets deeper and the top competitors do tougher moves and keep pushing the scores higher.”

If he is to earn his elusive fifth title, Jackson must first take it back from son-in-law Nick Troutman (CAN) who, in defeating Jackson two years ago, won his first World title the same year he married Jackson’s daughter, Emily, who is defending the senior women’s World title she earned also that year. This is the last year Jackson is safe from another threat to his pursuit of a record number of World titles as son Dane, 17, competes in his fourth and final Worlds as a junior this year. Uniquely, Dane is the only person of any age vying for medals in all four whitewater disciplines: kayak, canoe, open canoe and squirt.