ICFmedia

European Canoe Association activities Q2 2025

Three new members were elected to the ECA Athletes' Committee

Establishment of the New ECA Board
Following the March 2025 Congress, during which new members were elected, one of the main priorities was to organise the Board’s operations and define the roles and missions of each member. This process led to the creation of an organisational chart and mission letters for each Board member.

Board Responsibilities:

Awards, Ethics, and Disciplinary: Vitor Felix
Finance Committee: Peter Karai (Chair), Christian Jacobsen (Member), Geir Kvilum (Member)
Communications: Vitor Felix, Andrej Jelenc
IT Tools: Manuela Gawhen
Sport and Event Coordination: Greg Smale

Sport Disciplines – Board Members as Liaisons with Technical Committees:
Tasks include discipline projects, rules and rule changes, European Championships, reports for the Congress, and Board presentations.

Sprint: Peter Karai (HUN)
Slalom: Andrej Jelenc (SLO)
Paracanoe: Vitor Felix (POR)
Non-Olympic Disciplines – White Water (Wildwater, Rafting, Freestyle): Manuela Gawhen (GER)
Non-Olympic Disciplines – Flat Water (Marathon, Canoe Polo, Dragon Boat): Geir Kvilum (NOR)
Non-Olympic Disciplines – Sea Disciplines: Stien Verlinden (BEL)

Sustainability: Stien Verlinden (BEL)
Paddle Sports for All (Education): Moira Aston (IRE), Christian Jacobsen (DEN)

ECA Organisational Chart 2025

ECA Athletes Committee
During the Congress, the Board presented the structure and procedures for establishing the ECA Athletes’ Commission. Elections were held during the Canoe Sprint European Championships in Racice (CZE) and the Canoe Slalom European Championships in Vaires-sur-Marne (FRA).
The elected athlete representatives are:

SPRINT

Josef Dostal (CZE)
Frederikke Hauge Matthiesen (DEN)

PARACANOE

Charlotte Henshaw (GBR)

SLALOM

Monica Doria (AND)
Michal Martikan (SVK)

The next steps include the nomination by these athletes of two additional representatives (one man and one woman) for non-Olympic disciplines. Once the group is fully formed, the members will elect their Chiar, who will represent the athletes and sit on the ECA Board.

Canoe Sprint Racice 2025

Championships Overview
This period marked the beginning of the European Championships season.

Canoe Polo: Following the withdrawal of the Polish Federation, Avranches (FRA) stepped in to host the European Championship in September.
Dragon Boat: Unfortunately, the European Championship was cancelled due to low participation.
Wildwater Canoeing: Mezzana (ITA) hosted the European Championships with over 15 nations and 100-plus athletes. The event was co-organised with the World Rafting Federation, which held rafting events at the same venue.
Sprint Seniors: Organised by the Czech Canoe Association in Racice.
Sprint Juniors & U23: Held in Pitesti (ROM), also featuring Special Olympics races for athletes with intellectual disabilities. These were made possible thanks to technical support from Mémosoft.
Slalom: The Senior European Championships took place in Vaires-sur-Marne (FRA), on the same course as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – a great legacy event showcasing Olympic medallists.
Marathon: Portugal hosted the Canoe Marathon European Championships in Ponte de Lima.

Upcoming Competitions

Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships: July 30 to August 3 in Solkan (SLO)
Canoe Polo European Championship: September 8 to 14 in Avranches (FRA)
European Youth Olympic Festival: July 21 to 24 in Skopje (MKD)

Partnerships
The ECA strengthened its partnerships with other sports stakeholders:

A partnership agreement was signed with the World Rafting Federation to support the development of rafting in Europe.
During the Junior & U23 Canoe Sprint European Championships in Pitesti, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the ECA and Special Olympics Europe-Eurasia, committing to joint efforts in making paddle sports more inclusive, especially for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

TIP camp European Pitesti

Training Camps
The development project approved by the Congress is now in its implementation phase. Using internal funds, the ICF dedicated funds, and support from member federations, training camps were organised for athletes in: