The International Canoe Federation's Canoe Slalom development camp in Thailand has once again thrown light on the enormous potential of the sport in Asia.
ICF expert Clement Rota led the camp from February 28 to March 12 on the sidelines of the ICF World Ranking event and the 2025 Asian Canoe Slalom Junior and U23 Championships.
Ten athletes and five coaches participated in the camp at the Rayong Excellence Centre organised by and funded by the ICF, Asian Canoe Confederation and the Rowing and Canoeing Association of Thailand (RCAT).
The main aim of the camp was to strengthen whitewater activities in Asia, especially with Canoe Slalom, targeting National Federations that will be participating in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games scheduled to be held in Thailand in December.
With the camp, the ICF also hopes to bring more nations and youngsters to the ACC Canoe Slalom Championships.
“I was impressed by their power and the motivation of these kids. They all had different technical levels. I found them very open-minded,” Rota said after the camp.
“The focus was on Canoe Slalom and of course kayak cross. The idea was to motivate the coaches and athletes, especially with kayak cross, because many see it as two different sports.
“But we wanted to show them it is not and how important it is moving forward.
“We had lots of sessions including videos. Angele Hug, who won kayak cross silver at Paris 2024 and Martin Dougoud helped us with clips where they were talking about the difference between slalom and kayak cross which was enjoyed by the athletes.”
The camp integrated lectures and practical sessions for beginners on rules, safety, technicality and more.
Alexandr Kulikov of Kazakhstan, an Asian medallist and Tokyo 2020 Olympian, who was part of these camps in the early stages of his career, also took a moment to share his experience.
“Providing robust development camp opportunities for our junior paddlers is an investment not just in their individual success, but in the long-term health and growth of our sport as a whole,” ACC President Chainarong Charoenruk said.
“By nurturing this talent pipeline, we're ensuring a steady flow of well-prepared athletes who are ready to represent Asian on the world stage.
“In an era of evolving coaching techniques, cutting-edge sports science, and fierce international competition, development camps are more essential than ever before. They give our young paddlers the competitive edge they need to excel, both now and in the years to come.”
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