The International Canoe Federation remains hopeful there will be international canoe slalom, canoe sprint, paracanoe and wildwater events before the end of this year, following the latest ICF board meeting.

Organisers of canoe slalom world cups in Tacen, Slovenia, and Pau, France, and a canoe sprint and paracanoe event in Szeged, Hungary, along with an ICF wildwater world cup in La Seu, Spain, are continuing preparations for their events, scheduled for late September, October and November.

The ICF and organisers are working on detailed operational plans with Covid 19 measures to enable athletes, coaches and staff to feel safe during the competitions.

The ICF board agreed to change the name for the non-Olympic world championships in canoe sprint with concerns some athletes may not be able to attend because of Covid-19 restrictions. The event will remain as a world cup for canoe sprint and paracanoe athletes.

The board agreed it was important to do whatever it could to return to competition, for the well being not only of the sport, but of society in general. However the health and safety of athletes and officials remains the number one priority.

The 2020 ICF ocean racing world championships in Portugal, the dragon boat world championships in India, and next year’s U23 and junior canoe slalom world championships in New Zealand, have all been cancelled by the ICF board given the current restrictions in place.

The ICF has also postponed its 2020 congress, which was scheduled for Manila in the Philippines in December. The ICF board voted to hold the next congress in March or April 2021.

The board was told the ICF remains in a strong position financially, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the forced cancellation of most of the 2020 calendar. However the situation is being closely monitored and several cost-saving initiatives have been implemented in case the Covid 19 situation is prolonged.

The latest ICF event calendar for 2020 can be found here.