The Board of the Directors of the European Canoe Association met in Ponte de Lima, Portugal, to discuss the future of the canoeing in Europe, including the strategic plan, development programmes, and the agenda of the upcoming Congress in Budapest. During the meeting, they also allocated several ECA European Championships.
It was a long but fruitful weekend for the ECA Board of Directors, who discussed important topics regarding the future of the canoeing in Europe. Among the decisions made over the weekend, the locations for the ECA European Championships in several disciplines were allocated. It was confirmed that the 2026 ECA Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe European Championships will be held in Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal. The organisation of the 2026 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships was entrusted to Ivrea, Italy, while the 2026 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships will be held in Epinal, France. The canoe freestyle competitors will compete for the 2026 ECA Canoe Freestyle European Championships titles in Lieksa, Finland. The 2027 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships will be held in Krakow, Poland, and the 2027 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships will take place in Mirandela, Portugal. The ECA calendar is available here:
https://canoe-europe.org/documents#calendar
It was also decided that refugee athletes with UN status will be allowed to participate in the non-qualification events, in line with the ICF rules and the broader European sports framework.
One of the key topics discussed was the upcoming 17th Ordinary Congress of the European Canoe Association which will take place on 29th March in Budapest, Hungary. The congress’s deadlines and the agenda were confirmed; and the directors were updated on the names of the candidates for the position of the ECA Vice President and the Board Members, as well as the candidates for the positions of the ECA representatives in the ICF Board of Directors.
This year, the Headquarters of the European Canoe Association will move from Zagreb to Paris, following the ECA Board of Directors’ approval of the proposal and the cooperation with the French Canoe Federation.
The Board of Directors were presented with and discussed the financial report and the provisional budget for the next two years, as well as the strategic and development plan, which supports the planned growth and ambition in development over the next two years, focusing on sports initiatives, organisation of training camps across Europe in various disciplines in order to increase the number of nations and athletes participating at European Championships, and supporting development of canoeing in Europe. The Board members also confirmed the proposed
compositions of the Technical Committees.
During their stay in Ponte de Lima, the ECA Board of Directors had the privilege of visiting the impressive Clube Náutico de Ponte de Lima, where they were warmly welcomed by the representatives of the Portuguese Canoe Federation and the local club. Among those who welcomed the delegation was Fernando Pimenta, Portugal's canoeing superstar, a two-time Olympic medalist, and multiple European and World champion. The ECA's Board of Directors was impressed with the outstanding facilities, the impressive number of athletes, and the diverse range of programs offered at the club, showing that the club plays a vital role in fostering talent and passion for canoeing and sport in the region.
