There was a strong feeling of unity among the paddling community in striving for a better future after productive discussions at the inaugural International Canoe Federation Paddle Summit in Hangzhou, China. 

More than 100 delegates, representing all 10 ICF disciplines, gathered in the Chinese city to look at ways to evolve the organisation and build a stronger future together.  

It was the first time that all the ICF Standing Committees had held meetings in one location, leading to representatives from the different disciplines sharing views and experiences for the betterment of paddle sports. 

After two days of committee meetings, all the disciplines and other key stakeholders combined for the Paddle Summit on March 1 and 2. 

Discussions centred on topics including sustainability, venue development, event delivery and competition calendar as members look to deliver on key objectives set out in the ICF’s Fit for Future Evolution strategy. 

Click here to read the views of the committees

There was also a visit to the Fuyang Water Sports Centre where committees were mixed into different groups and tasked with brainstorming ideas on creating a vision for a venue of the future that could cater for all paddling disciplines. 

The Fuyang Water Sports Centre was used for the first-ever ICF Hangzhou Super Cup in 2024, building on the legacy of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. 

ICF President Thomas Konietzko said: “The outcome of these discussions proves very clearly that it was the right decision to bring all the committees and partners together here in Hangzhou and we owe that to everyone’s participation.  

“There were a lot of cross-committee meetings where members were able to benefit from these different experiences.  

“These discussions have shown how much potential we have as a group and as a sport. We have so many clever minds in our global paddling family, so we need to utilise these special skills to realise our own great potential.  

“Everyone who has participated has played a big part in the success of this first Paddle Summit.  

“I am so proud of what we have achieved over the past four days and I would like to thank our professional ICF staff for preparing this meeting.” 

What discipline committees had to say

PARACANOE 

John Edwards, Chair of the ICF Paracanoe Committee, said: “It’s the first time we’ve ever held a meeting like this and I’ve been involved in the ICF for quite a number of years. It’s great to have the different disciplines meeting together as there are common issues that we want to deal with. We are all working here for the benefit of the sport so it’s nice to see people who share that interest but in a slightly different way. From our Paracanoe perspective, I had the opportunity to meet with three other committees who are interested in our discipline.” 

CANOE SPRINT 

Toshi Furuya, Chair of the ICF Canoe Sprint Committee, said: “Usually we only meet with the Standing Committee Chairs, so it was great to meet with the committee members as well. This was a great opportunity to exchange our opinions. It was also fantastic that the ICF invited our commercial partners, as they made good suggestions as well. I would like to express my huge thanks to the organisers in the Hangzhou office. We are different disciplines, but we are under one umbrella. I am even more convinced that the ICF is a great organisation after the Paddle Summit.” 

CANOE SLALOM 

Richard Fox, Chair of the ICF Canoe Slalom Committee, said: “The Paddle Summit has been a very rich experience in terms of connecting with people from across our paddle family. I thought Saturday’s workshop was a great way of bringing people together with different perspectives to look at the common challenge of how to create a venue for multi-discipline activity. I thought all the themes at the Paddle Summit were great, all very relevant and future facing. Overall, it’s been very positive. It’s great to hear from the leadership and good to connect with the headquarters team.” 

CANOE POLO 

Greg Smale, Chair of the ICF Canoe Polo Committee, said: “It was intense as we had some really serious topics on the agenda after last week’s seminar on future rules. We were able to discuss things at length as we prepare for the start of The World Games 2025 and plan towards the World Championships in 2026. I’m grateful that so many of our committee members and advisors were able to get to China as it’s been a really good experience. I found the past two days at the Paddle Summit fascinating as we were able to share views on the future. It’s great to review the organisation, looking at a lot of the ICF’s processes which is long overdue.” 

CANOE FREESTYLE 

Terry Best, Chair of the ICF Canoe Freestyle Committee, said: “It’s been a really positive few days. Face-to-face committee meetings are always more productive and the Paddle Summit was really interesting. There was a lot of interaction between the various committees which is a good thing and there was a lot of information sharing as well. Our committee were very proactive including those that were here and those that joined online. The biggest takeaway from Hangzhou is that everyone now has a better idea of what the ICF is doing and the direction the organisation is moving. When you have an organisation with 10 different disciplines, it can be difficult to get the balance right, but I am positive about the future direction.” 

STAND UP PADDLING 

Noemi Horvath, Chair of the ICF Stand Up Paddling Committee, said: “It was very useful to hear all the ideas of all the other committees, especially for our members. I usually meet with the other Standing Committee Chairs, but our members had not previously met the other disciplines. It was very interesting to realise that many disciplines face the same problems as we do, so we gained useful information and exchanged ideas. So many topics were discussed and so many ideas were shared.” 

CANOE OCEAN RACING 

Marian Sarbu, Chair of the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing Committee, said: “The Paddle Summit has provided a unique opportunity for interaction with all members of the Committees, promoting a sense of community and shared purpose among everybody involved in our sport. Over the past few days, we have covered a number of topics that for sure will shape the future of our sport. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in making this event such a success. By working together, we are confident that we can build a stronger future for our sport.” 

CANOE MARATHON 

Ruud Heijselaar, Chair of the ICF Canoe Marathon Committee, said: “It was very valuable to meet with other committees and speak with everyone over the past four days. It was great to gain information from the committee meetings that we could then use during the Paddle Summit. It was fantastic to be here. As we know with China, it is always well organised and this was certainly the case here. The people from our Hangzhou office did a great job.”  

WILDWATER CANOEING 

Manuela Gawehn, Chair of the ICF Wildwater Canoeing Committee, said: “Unfortunately I could not join the meeting, but I have been in close contact with my two committee members (Alexandra Plachtova and German Jimenez Prats) who were present. For Wildwater Canoeing, it is really important to come together and work with other disciplines to share synergies especially regarding event organisation.” 

DRAGON BOAT 

Waihung Luk, Chair of the ICF Dragon Boat Commission, said: “It is the first time that we have had all the committees together, so it was great opportunity to meet all the other members. We gained a lot from this cross-communication, exchanging ideas. During the Paddle Summit, we were able to understand more about what is required by all the committees to advance our events. We also really enjoyed visiting the Fuyang Water Sports Centre which is able to accommodate so many disciplines at the same time.”