Vice President's Column

State-of-the-art sprint venue

Several days after the finalisation of the Paralympic Games where I served on the jury, I travelled to Turkestan (Kazakhstan). This is a city and a Government committed to offer world class facilities from Central Asia to the world.  

The available state-of-the-art sprint venue there was the scene of multi-sports regattas, including canoe, kayak, Paracanoe and SUP. I was pleased to see several female coaches as proof that competent and committed women are all around the world and to account for them we have to thoroughly look for them in every corner of the planet. 

The objective of my trip was to deliver the first continental seminar for sprint officials. As a large continent, Asia presents several challenges, including distances and high costs of travelling, diversity of languages and others. The strong interest from the locals and foreigners resulted in a successful seminar. The endorsement of the Asian Canoe Confederation was vital and aligned with its development strategy. 

Alongside my sport and professional career, I have occupied many diverse positions which almost all were very enjoyable, but as I stressed during the Congress, one of the things that I like the most is to teach as I am a university professor. 

I expect that soon we will return to Turkestan for an Asian or ICF major event, possibly both. 

Sustainable development

On the first week of October, I attended the Panam Sports Assembly and the ACODECA Assembly of which I am the First Vice President. That took place in Asuncion. Paraguay. 

The ICF Congress, held in early November in Antalya, Turkiye, was very important. I was re-elected Vice President by a large majority. I have run my last two elections uncontested. All that was done and accomplished and the awareness of what didn’t work during this last period in office in this position remains as a lesson learnt.  

Over the course of the last eight years, the ICF Sustainable Development Programme has become more sophisticated as it has been liaised in an excellent manner with the IOC Olympic Solidarity. This has provided more opportunities to more coaches and athletes around the world, improving the level of more than 500 coaches that passed through the ICF courses and opened them to the widest range of working opportunities.  

The TIPs build up a team of coaches that move around nurturing athletes and, most importantly, take care of them which is the aim of all our efforts. 

I personally developed and ran the certification courses of more than 74 continental sprint officials in the American continent and in Asia. The gender equality obligation within the registration of the ICF educational activities and TIPs is being abided by which is gratifying. 

We are already shaping the 2025 working year with the revision of the development policies and the feasibility study of the developing hubs. It is all in an evaluation stage that will lead us to a planning phase. 

Historic jury

Antalya was also the venue for important discussions regarding the preparation of the continental Women Symposiums in Europe (Andorra) and Oceania (Australia), while Africa will make it in a webinar format. 

I attended the ICF Stand Up Paddling World Championships in Sarasota, United States. I chaired a jury composed of three women which has never been done before. An historic decision. 

This non-Olympic discipline had a record of participation of 12 National Federations from the Americas, with 150 members from the USA and 42 representing Canada. 

Some medals came from my continent – a great joy for the amazing athletes. 

On December 16, I will travel to Cochabamba, Bolivia to deliver a course and certification of national sprint officials as the country has obtained the support from IOC Olympic Solidarity for a DNSS project. We keep moving forward. 

By Ceciia Farias, Vice President of the ICF