It is with great sadness that we report the passing of French canoeing stalwart, Gilbert Trouvé.

Gilbert was a passionate man for canoeing as a paddler, technical advisor and then as a leader. He died on the weekend after battling illness.

Gilbert is most recently remembered as the general secretary of the French Canoe Federation, a position he held from March 2009 until November 2016 and was a member of the federal board of the FFCK.

He was a technical advisor at the FFCK from November 1987 until September 1998, as regional technical advisor for the Ile de France region, and later head of the sport department at the Regional Council Ile de France from November 1998 until May 2008.

Gilbert was well known and widely respected for the heart and passion that he devoted to canoeing throughout his life and in all his work. His broad contribution to the development of the Olympic and Paralympic base of Vaires sur Marne when he was in the Ile de France Region played a major role in its realisation today. This magnificent facility for the service of our sport will remind us of his memory.