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The very successful Lithuanian double Aurimas Lankas and Edvinas Ramanauskas, bronze medallists of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and winners of the medals at the European Championships, will lead the Lithuanian Canoe Federation in the next term. Aurimas Lankas, aged 39, and recently retired from his sporting career, was elected the new president. He stood against two candidates: Saulius Raziūnas, a 67-year-old long-time canoeing judge and coach, and Vadimas Čižys, a 50-year-old former kayaker from Visaginas.

 

The election race for the presidency of the Lithuanian Canoe Federation (LBKIF) was highly competitive and required a second round of secret voting. In the first round, Aurimas Lankas received 16 votes, just one vote more than Saulius Raziūnas. Vadimas Čižys, with two votes, did not advance to the second round. In the decisive second round, Lankas was elected president with 18 votes, while S. Raziūnas received 15 votes.

 

Aurimas Lankas will succeed Aleksandras Alekrinskis, who led the federation for three terms since 2013. Similarly, Edvinas Ramanauskas, now General Secretary, will replace Romualdas Petrukanecas, who also served three terms in the role. Petrukanecas will now focus on coaching.

 

“The election was neck-to-neck, or like thousands of a second in a sprint, reminiscent of our days competing in the 200-metres races where winners were decided by hundredths or even thousandths of a second. I’m thrilled we managed to win and will have the chance to prove we can make our federation better. I’d like to thank all conference participants—both those who voted for me and those who voted against me—because they will push us to seek the best solutions for the future,” said the newly elected president Aurimas Lankas.

 

Lithuanian canoe and kayak athletes have participated in every Summer Olympic Games since the country declared independence. This year five Lithuanian kayakers competed. According to the new federation president, maintaining this tradition is one of the federation's key objectives. “It would be a huge loss if we didn't have our Olympic athletes at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. We will put in tremendous effort, especially since we now have a strong Olympic team. We hope that over the next four years, new young talents will emerge, contributing to the Olympic team in 2032. But for now, the goal is to have at least as many participants in Los Angeles as we had in this year's Paris Olympics,” said A. Lankas.

 

Arūnas Tomkevičius, the head of the world's largest canoe and kayak paddle manufacturer "Brača-sport," was elected vice president of the Lithuanian Canoe and Kayak Federation. Tadas Čižas was chosen as the chair of the Coaches' Council. The LBKIF Executive Committee also includes world and European champion Egidijus Balčiūnas, Rimas Sukackas, and Gintautas Brijūnas.