The whole point of a boatercross, like motorcross or boardercross, is to pit expert racers against eachother on a course with obstacles. The concept itself is unsafe. So is the whole sport of kayaking for that matter. Then again it is also a hell of a lot of fun.  The Gorge Games boatercross was not on the same course as the extreme race. It was also billed as an experts-only event  and staged on a relatively easy rapid: to mitgate some of the risk.  An expert kayaker usually has the fitness to hold their breath, even when being held under longer than expected. 

Gotta say, that photo makes the call seem pretty cut and dry: DQ for the gentleman in the orange boat and it doesn't matter what his intentions were, where he is from, or how much he needs the prize money. 

It is strange to me that kayak racing has been happening for decades and yet we still have issues with accurate time keeping and fairness.  Back in the day, slalom races where held with all volunteer labor (if you wanted to compete you were obligated to volunteer as well) and run with a fraction of the entrance fees that are charged today.  I'm not saying everything went perfectly the first time around, but it all went well enough to be offcially recognized as an olympic sport.  This year alone, I know of at least three major 'extreme' races that have had serious time keeping and organizational issues.  Those of us who enjoy competiting in these events need to step up and help the organizers of these events get it right: set safety, be a scribe for other heats, run a backup stop watch, etc.  And, those who are organizing events should consider lowering or eliminating the entry fees until the competitors can be assured that their times will be recorded accurately every time and that the rules for the event (which were hopefully decided and made public before that day) will be enforced fairly.  Otherwise its an awfully slow and expensive way to spend a day in your kayak.

-Mark