News

ECA’s Board of Directors and special working group worked very hard in the past months on the new and modernized ECA Statutes as well as on governance. This will be the main focus of the upcoming congress, which will be held on Saturday afternoon, 9^th November, in Antalya. In addition to the new ECA Statutes and governance, development programme and sport programme will be addressed and discussed at the ECA Extraordinary Congress.

 

Before the ECA Extraordinary Congress, XL ICF Ordinary Congress will bring elections for the ICF positions. European candidates are running for majority of the key positions, therefore Europe will continue to play an important role in shaping the direction of the sport.

 

Germany’s Thomas Konietzko, who has led the ICF since 2021, is the sole candidate for the position of President. The three current Vice Presidents are also unchallenged with Spain’s Lluis Rabaneda i Caselles and Argentina’s Cecilia Farias seeking re-election and Italy’s Luciano Buonfiglio looking to be elected in the role having held the position on an interim basis.

 

Among the candidates for the ICF Treasurer is ECA’s Board of Directors member Peter Karai from Hungary, standing against Turkiye’s Alper Cavit Kabakci, China’s Li Xin and Lebanon’s Mazen Ramadan.

 

 

The candidates for the eleven ICF committee chairs come from different continents; however, only two committees have more than one candidate to chair it. Marian Sarbu (BEL) is running against Colin Simpkins (RSA) for the position of Ocean Racing chair, while Noemi Horvath (HUN) and Martin Marinov (MDA) are running to lead the SUP committee. Jane Gibson (GBR) who is also ECA’s Anti-doping and sports medicine Technical Delegate is candidate for Medical & Anti-doping committee, Manuela Gawehn (GER), ECA’s Board Member and Technical Delegate for Wildwater Canoeing is running to lead the discipline in the ICF, as well as Ruud Heijselaar (NED), ECA’s Board member and technical delegate for canoe marathon, who is to expected to continue his work also as the ICF Canoe Marathon Committee Chair. Two British representatives are running to lead the canoe polo committee – Greg Smale – and the canoe freestyle committee – Terry Best. Toshi Furuya (JPN) is candidate to chair the Canoe Sprint committee, Richard Fox (AUS) is candidate to chair the canoe slalom committee, John Edwards (CAN) is expected to continue his work as paracanoe chair, while Luk Wai-Hung (HKG) is candidate to lead the dragon boat commission.

 

In addition to the chair positions, there are numerous European candidates for the ICF committee members and advisors who will play crucial roles in various disciplines. These are the European candidates:

 

CANOE SPRINT: Jens Kahl (GER), Paolo Tommasini (ITA),  Ekaitz Saies Sistiaga (ESP), Jolanta Rzepka (POL), Botond Storcz (HUN), Kristo Sepp (EST), Beatriz Gomes (POR), Michel Letienne (FRA), Jovana Stanojevic (SRB), Jernej Zupancic Regent (SLO), Henriette Engel Brøns (DEN) - Member or Advisor

 

CANOE SLALOM: Meritxell Rodríguez Cadena (ESP), Colin Woodgate (GBR), Alena Maskova (CZE), Daniele Molmenti (ITA), Jerome Yvet (FRA), Sophie Delage (FRA), Jakob Marusic (SLO), Hans-Peter Weiss (GER) – Advisor

 

WILDWATER CANOEING: Giulia Formenton (ITA), Peter Schofield (GBR), Annlena Kuttenberger (SUI), German Jimenez Prats (ESP), Alexandra Plachtová (CZE), Mathias Gerard (FRA), Tomislav Crnkovic (CRO), Tim Novak (SLO)

 

CANOE MARATHON: Delia Merayo López (ESP), Brian Chapman (GBR), Stien Verlinden (BEL), András Faludy (HUN), Sergio Ferreira (POR), Stefan Gustafsson (SWE) – Advisor

 

CANOE POLO: Mario Pérez López (ESP), Eva Lindmark (SWE), Joao Botelho (POR), Virginie Brackez (FRA), Pawel Teleman (POL) – Advisor

 

CANOE FREESTYLE: Anne Sommerauer (GER), Alexandre Conte (FRA), Tanya Neilson (GBR) – Advisor

 

CANOE OCEAN RACING: Alejandro Agüera (ESP), David Szlachta (FRA)

 

PARACANOE: Ismael Uali Rojo (ESP), Julie Gray (GBR), Michal Starczewski (POL), Botond Hajdu (HUN), Diego Doga (ITA)

 

SUP: Aure Medina Amorrortu (ESP), Sam Rutt (GBR)

 

DRAGON BOAT: Ulrike Schreck (GER), Elena Iskhakova (RUS), Carole Cheviet (FRA)

 

MEDICAL AND ANTI-DOPING: Michael Cassel (GER), Enrique Peces García (ESP), Miran Sebestjen (SLO)