President's Message Q1 2025

Dear ICF Family, 

As we step into 2025, I am proud to share with you the progress we have made in the first quarter of the year. This period has been marked by groundbreaking initiatives, strategic decisions, and significant developments that will shape the future of our sport. Here are some key highlights:  

Progress on future Olympic Games 

The best news last week came from the Los Angeles City Council which has approved the relocation of Canoe Slalom outside the city, allowing the event to be held at The Whitewater Center in Oklahoma City. This decision follows years of collaboration between the ICF, the Oklahoma City Government, and LA28 to ensure a world-class venue for Canoe Slalom in 2028.  

We can now work together to organise extraordinary Games with the city's community and at the same time provide our athletes with the best conditions and Games experience. 

Of course, it is the first time that we organise our competitions 2000 km away from the Host City. It was important for us to keep Canoe Slalom in the Olympic programme to follow the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5, and we now want to use this unique selling point to be almost alone as an Olympic sport in a big city as a sport to present ourselves in the best possible way.

Significant progress has been made in finalising venues for upcoming Olympic Games. The Queensland Government has officially supported the ICF’s recommendations and will establish the Redland Whitewater Centre as the host venue for Canoe Slalom at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. However, the selection of Rockhampton for Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe was unexpected, given previous extensive assessments of alternative venues. The ICF will continue to collaborate with Paddle Australia, the Queensland Government, World Rowing, and relevant stakeholders to find the best solution for hosting sprint races in 2032. Be sure that we have a few good options in mind that we will now discuss with the Organising Committee in Brisbane. 

Regarding preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I joined the IOC LA28 ICF transition seminar in Lausanne in February before travelling to Los Angeles with Lluis Rabaneda and Richard Pettit to discuss key aspects of event scheduling, athlete accommodation, and operational details with LA28 Chief Operating Officer John Harper and other officials. Those productive discussions have laid the foundation to our Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe competitions in one of the most beautiful venues ever in Long Beach.  

In Oklahoma, we further strengthened collaboration with the City Council and relevant stakeholders, securing agreements to host the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships and ICF Congress in 2026, as well as the Olympic Canoe Slalom events in 2028. 

Inaugural ICF Paddle Summit in Hangzhou 

March saw the successful launch of the inaugural ICF Paddle Summit in Hangzhou, bringing together all ICF committees and the Board of Directors for productive crossover discussions to shape the federation's future. This event united all disciplines and provided a platform for exploring new opportunities in development. Notable attendees included IOC Executive Board member Li Lingwei, CMG, and all our sponsors.  

During the summit, another key milestone was the launch of the landmark Excellence Centre at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre, the first of several planned centre aimed at growing paddle sports at local, regional, and international levels. 

Following the summit, the ICF Executive Committee and Board meetings were also held in Hangzhou, where important topics were discussed, and members had the opportunity to visit the top-tier infrastructure of the ICF satellite office in the city.  

I extend my gratitude to the Hangzhou City Government and the Chinese Canoe Association for their hospitality and ongoing support, as well as to the dedicated team at the ICF Hangzhou office and Lausanne office for their efforts in preparing and organising these events. 

Organisational Review  

As part of our commitment to ensuring the ICF remains dynamic and efficient, we have commenced a comprehensive organisational review. With valuable input from National Federations, Board Members, and stakeholders, we have identified strategic directions and key areas for improvement. Five working groups, chaired by Mike Chambers, Richard Fox, Kim Pople, Greg Smale, and Mario Santos, have been established, with myself, the Vice Presidents, and the Secretary General forming the Steering Committee. The objective is to have the proposal approved by the ICF Board in March 2026, culminating in a full relaunch of our federation under the name “Paddle Worldwide” at our Congress in July 2026.  

Evolution of the ICF Super Cup 

The multi-discipline ICF Super Cup in Hangzhou will continue to evolve this year, bringing together top paddlers from various disciplines. Our goal is to elevate the competition’s prestige and further promote our sport. 

We are in discussions with the sports office and Chinese television company CMG to agree the final programme. There are still some differences of opinion here that we need to discuss together in the next few weeks. 

Our co-host, CMG, renowned for its exceptional canoe broadcast coverage during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, will develop a customised production plan to enhance the event's presentation. Additionally, we have finalized a Memorandum of Understanding with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok and Douyin, to jointly market and expand the Super Cup’s reach and value.

New leadership in the IOC 

In Greece, we witnessed a historic moment with the election of Kirsty Coventry as the first female President of the International Olympic Committee, ushering in a new era. Additionally, Tony Estanguet was re-elected as an IOC Member, further solidifying the presence of canoeing within the Olympic Movement. Together with Jessica Fox, our sport's voice within the Olympic ecosystem continues to strengthen. 

Changes in ICF Board Members 

During the Board meeting in Hangzhou, we bid an emotional farewell to long-serving Board members Branko Lovric and Jovana Stanojevic as they concluded their terms. I extend my deepest gratitude for their dedication and contributions to the ICF and paddle sports. 

Meanwhile, at the ECA Congress in Budapest on March 29, Moira Aston and Peter Karai were elected as the European representatives on the ICF Board of Directors. Both are respected leaders within our sport, and I warmly welcome them to the Board, confident in their ability to drive our sport forward with their expertise and commitment.

Multi-sport events 

In line with our ICF strategy of presenting our disciplines in as many multi-sport events as possible, I have established contact with the organising committee of the next Asian Games in Japan as well as with the organisation of the Lusofonia Games of the Portuguese-speaking countries. In the next few weeks, I will be in Japan promoting the reintroduction of Paracanoe into the programme of the Asian Para Games and I will be in Cape Verde promoting the Games of the Portuguese-speaking countries for the inclusion of SUP and Ocean Race. 

In Budapest during the ECA Congress, I was able to talk to the Kosovo Canoe Association in order to remain in the programme with as many disciplines as possible for the next Mediterranean Games in Kosovo in 2032. 

Celebrating our centennial legacy 

In Lausanne, I had the honour of presenting our 100-year anniversary book to the IOC’s Olympic Studies Centre (OSC), where it has been added to the OSC’s collection and is now accessible through the Olympic World Library. Our sincere thanks to Balint Vekassy, Cecilia Farias, and everyone involved in producing this remarkable tribute to our sport’s history, defining moments, and breathtaking beauty of our 10 disciplines.  

Last but not the least, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our National Federations, athletes, partners, and everyone who continues to contribute to the success of canoeing worldwide. The first quarter of 2025 has already been one of remarkable achievements and forward momentum for the ICF. Let us build on this momentum and look ahead to an exciting year of progress and innovation. 

By Thomas Konietzko, President of the ICF