President's Message Q4 2025

Dear ICF Family,  

I hope this message finds you well. As we approach the end of another successful year, I am pleased to share with you some of the key highlights, progress, and milestones we have achieved in recent months. 

ICF HQ in Budapest 

We have now officially opened the new ICF headquarters in Budapest, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our federation. Thanks to the strong support of the Hungarian government, especially Hungary’s State Secretary for Sport, Dr. Ádám Schmidt, and Deputy State Secretary for Sport, Mr. Gábor Schmidt, we were able to continue our success story in a country where canoeing is one of the most successful sports. 

With this new base, we have strengthened our administrative capacity by recruiting additional staff, allowing us to better serve our National Federations, support our athletes, and deliver on our strategic objectives. Together with the offices in Lausanne and Hangzhou, the ICF will have from the beginning of next year more than 40 staff members representing 15 nations across all five continents. With this evolution of our federation we will be able to provide an increased level of services to our national federations and continents ensuring we can continue to grow the global popularity of our sport.  

A clear example of this are our continental managers for each continental federation to ensure closer cooperation, provide timely support, and further advance the development of our sport around the world. 

ICF Organisational review 

The project is progressing with full momentum. During the ExCo meeting in Budapest, all five chairs of the working groups were invited to present the first outcomes of their efforts. The discussions were highly constructive, and numerous invaluable proposals were shared with the ExCo members. These contributions will help us position our federation in a modern, transparent, and sustainable way for the future. 

I would like to express my sincere thanks to all working groups and their chairs for their dedication and valuable input. In February next year, we will organise town hall meetings with our National Federations and a wider group of stakeholders to further exchange views on the proposals. 

Our objective is to have the final proposal approved by the ICF Board in March 2026, leading to the full relaunch of our federation under the name “Paddle Worldwide” at our Congress in July 2026.

LA28 Olympic Qualification System 

The Canoe Sprint Qualification System was approved by the IOC Executive Board on December 10 and will be published on Olympic.org. Once published, it will be shared with the National Federations. The approval came with only minor wording adjustments, while the principles discussed by the  

working group have remained as agreed. We sincerely thank all members of the working group Federations for their outstanding commitment and and representatives of all National for their involvment and valuable input. This marks the first time such transparency has been applied in this process, demonstrating what is possible when our best experts are actively involved in key discussions.  

Meetings with the IOC family 

Over the past two months, I travelled to Lausanne several times to attend various IOC meetings. In addition to the annual IF Forum, Richard and I were invited to participate in the “Fit for the Future” consultation meeting with IOC President Kirsty Coventry. On behalf of the ICF and the paddle sports community, we shared our thoughts on current opportunities and challenges, contributing to the development of the future roadmap of the Olympic Movement. 

Furthermore, on different occasions I held separate meetings with several IOC stakeholders, including Ms. Li Lingwei, IOC Executive Board Member; Mr. Pierre Ducrey, IOC Sports Director; Mr. Karl Stoss, Chair of the Olympic Programme Commission; as well as our IOC Members Tony and Jess. 

From these discussions, I can confidently conclude that paddle sports maintain a strong position within the Olympic Movement. At the same time, it is essential for us to continue advancing through innovation and evolution to enhance our visibility and impact within the programme of future Olympic Games especially since our new IOC President is reviewing the Olympic program for Brisbane 32. 

Elections of ACC and CAC

In Thailand, I could join the Ordinary Congress of the Asian Canoe Confederation, where Prashant Kushwaha of India has been elected as the new ACC President. The ACC Congress clearly highlighted the impressive and rapid growth of paddle sport across Asia, signalling a promising future. I have already had many fruitful discussions with Prashant and am confident in his vision and commitment to further strengthening the sport. I also would like to express my sincere gratitude to my friend Admiral Chainarong Charoenruk for his dedicated leadership and valuable contributions during his tenure. Whether it was development camps, refereeing seminars, or competitions, Chainarong always ensured that everything met the highest standards. 

In Angola, the Confederation of African Canoeing hosted its Elective Congress, where João Manuel da Costa Alegre Afonso was unanimously re-elected as President. Paddle sport has made tremendous progress on the African continent since João took office in 2009. I am confident that under his excellent leadership, and with the strong support of all colleagues within the CAC, we can look forward to even greater development, stronger participation, and new milestones for African canoeing in the years ahead. 

Events and competitions  

We concluded another excellent season with the final two major events of the year: the SUP World Championships in the UAE, the first-ever ICF World Championships on the Arabian Peninsula, and the Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in South Africa, marking the first time this event was held on African soil. Together with more than 30 other major events, these competitions contributed to a highly successful ICF season in 2025, where we provided an outstanding platform for athletes to showcase their talents, bring honor to their home countries, and experience the joy of paddle sports. 

I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude to all host cities, host National Federations, volunteers, sponsors, and everyone involved in making each event a great success. 

In line with our new event strategy to globalize our sport, from next year onwards we look forward to discovering more new venues and welcoming new hosts, bringing the joy of our sport to an even wider audience.  

Meanwhile, our growing popularity is demonstrated by the interest of new partners. In addition to the second edition of the Hangzhou Super Cup in 2026, we are also in discussions with one of the largest state-owned companies in Shanghai, the Jiushi group,  to launch a new competition format in the heart of the city, against its iconic skyline. This initiative will undoubtedly contribute to significantly enhancing the global visibility of our sport. 

During our visit to China, we were also able to discuss the final date for the 2026 Super Cup. It will take place from October 2 to 4. The final programme will be confirmed in the coming weeks and the criteria for inviting the world's best athletes and the price money will be published. 

Islamic Solidarity Games  

By the invitation of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association, I joined the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh and had a lot of valuable exchanges with the stakeholders of the community. Paddle sport is not yet in the official program of the Games, to include in as many as possible in multisports event is one of our main objectives and a games with 57 participating countries should not be the one we miss, likewise, the ISSG also need paddle sport to be included as a strong sport with one of the most olympic events. We are now working with the ISSA and the host of next edition Malaysia to find a way to make the deput of our sport in 2029.

During my stay in Riyadh, I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of several National Federations in the Middle East to discuss how we can further boost paddle sport in the region. As one of the fastest-growing areas for sport, the Arabian Peninsula has always been among our strategic priorities. The ICF will continue to work closely with the NFs and NOCs of countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and others to further explore the region’s potential, nurture athletes, and bring more events to this part of the world. 

And finally, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of friends of the global paddle sport community for an exceptional year in 2025. Your dedication, passion, and teamwork have been the driving force behind every achievement we have celebrated. 

As we look ahead, I wish each of you a healthy, inspiring, and successful year in 2026. Let us carry this momentum into the new year and continue working side by side to elevate our beloved sport, open new opportunities for our athletes, and strengthen the global canoeing family. Together, we will write the next chapter of progress and success for paddle sports worldwide. 

By Thomas Konietzko, President of the International Canoe Federation