Asian Continental Confederation activities

Paris 2024 visit

As the ACC President Chainarong Charoenruk could not attend the 2024 Paris Olympics, Secretary General Jake Eunsuk Kim attended the Games. 

During his visit at the Games, the Secretary General had significant interactions with other Continental Federations and many Asian countries participating in the Games. 

“I had the great opportunity to see the Games myself from the front line and the honour to see our fellow Asian countries thriving at the competition, especially watching Stephanie Chen from Singapore and Thi Huong Nguyen from Vietnam make their debut in Paris,” said Kim. 

"Moreover, as this year marks the 100th anniversary of ICF and the first-time canoe was introduced as a demonstration sport in at the very same city. 

“I cannot express enough how thankful I am that I was able to attend this meaningful event.  

“I got the opportunity to also celebrate side by side with many canoe families a century of the International Canoe Federation in this historical place.  

“It was truly amazing and an unforgettable moment and congratulations to all to come this far making it an exciting century and to many more years to come."

First-ever Canoe Sprint World Championships held in Asia

History was written as the 2024 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championship was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, marking the first time the event has been staged in Asia. 

ACC President Chainarong visited Samarkand to attend the World Championships in August.

There were 52 countries and over 300 athletes who travelled to attend this historic event. Even though the route to Samarkand is quite long from the capital city, the Uzbekistan Organising Committee gave us a warm welcome and showed great hospitality to all participants. 

Overall the facilities and accessibility of the venue and accommodation were at the utmost convenience for all participants during the competition week. 

President Chainarong would like to express his greatest gratitude to ICF and the host country for organising this successful event.

Canoe Slalom venue in South Korea

On September 11, Ulsan City in South Korea announced that they are proceeding with the construction of the Canoe Slalom stadium, which will meet international standards, with a target completion date of 2028. 

The stadium must have a course width of 10m, a total length of less than 200m, a water flow speed of over 2m per second, and 20 to 25 gate facilities.  

Since the rapids are artificially created, the stadium is not limited by natural terrain such as rivers or seas. 

Ulsan City plans to reference the Tokyo Canoe Slalom venue in Japan to create a venue that fits the characteristics of the Ulsan area. 

ICF President Thomas Konietzko, ACC Secretary General Jake Eunsuk Kim and Korea Canoe Federation President Hyun Shik Cho visited Ulsan City.  

The three federations signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the promotion and expansion of canoe sports, with Ulsan Mayor Doo Gyum Kim and Ulsan Sports Council President Chul-wook Kim in attendance. 

Ulsan City has also decided to provide administrative and financial support to promote canoe sports. 

“Ulsan has a historical background of using boats similar to canoes since prehistoric times,” said Kim. “Ulsan city plans to integrate this cultural DNA into modern sports to create a new culture.”

By Chainarong Charoenruk, President of the Asian Canoe Confederation