Are you wondering how the international paddle sport community adopts climate-positive actions, and how we can positively influence the environment? Then the ICF Sustainability Webinar Series is right for you!
Paddle sport is closely connected with and influenced by the environment. Rising temperatures and changes in air and water quality not only affect athletes but also impact all people involved in paddle sport events. Likewise, athletes and competition venues can have either positive or negative effects on the environment, depending on how sustainability is understood and why environmental factors are so essential to paddle sports.
Building strong sustainability capacity, response measures, resilience, and adaptation solutions represents proactive climate action and contributes to sustainable development within the paddle sport community. This also aligns with the ICF’s Fit for Future – Climate Positive Strategy objectives.
This is the first of a series of webinars focusing on sustainability and paddle sport. The opening webinar looks at the Asian continent to see how its paddle sport community is implementing sustainability projects to contribute to climate-positive action.
Date: 12 December 2025
Time: 10:00 CET
Register for the webinar for free: here
Recording : [Pending]
The panellists will make short presentations followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Speakers at this webinar include:
Dr. Cecilia L. Farias Since 2016, she has served as the first female Vice-President of International Canoe Federation (ICF), re-elected in 2021 and again in 2024 for a term through 2028. As Vice-President, she also chairs the ICF’s Diversity and Inclusion Commission and leads its Sustainable Development Programme, actively championing gender equality, inclusion, and environmental responsibility across global paddle sports. Before becoming a top-level sport administrator, Dr. Farias was a competitive canoe-kayak athlete in Argentina — a two-time national sprint champion and one of the first women to compete internationally in her country. Over decades she has held key posts in sport governance: including Secretary-General of the Argentine Canoe Federation, Internal Auditor of the Argentine Olympic Committee and Academic, Secretary-General and later President of the Pan American Canoe Confederation, and roles within the continental and global governance structures of canoe sports. |  |
Matthew Campelli Strategist, communicator and content creator specialising in sustainability and sport. Touchline Earth Founder and Managing Director. |  |
Bilquis Mir A famous female athlete in Indian water sports, Bilquis began her career in kayaking and canoeing on Dal Lake in Srinagar, represented India at the 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Hungary, and later coached the national women’s team. She made history as the first Indian woman to be named a jury member at the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 for water-sports events. In 2025, she was appointed Competition Director for the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Games to be held in Srinagar, reflecting her ongoing leadership and commitment to the development of paddle sport in India. |  |
Leonora Escollante President of the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation (PCKDF) and Board Member of the Philippine Olympic Committee, Leonora leads the national effort to develop and promote paddle sport across the Philippines. Under her stewardship, the Philippines hosted the 2024 ICF Dragon Boat World Championships in Puerto Princesa, where the national team captured the overall title with 11 gold, 20 silver and eight bronze medals. A former national paddler, Dragon Boat athlete and volleyball player, Leonora has long been involved in canoe, kayak and Dragon Boat as athlete and coach, and now as a high-level administrator and international coach and at the same time international technical official in Canoe Sprint, Canoe Slalom, Dragon Boat and Canoe Ocean Racing. |  |
Overall Goals
- To raise awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability for the long-term health and growth of paddle sport globally.
- To inspire and equip participants with practical ideas and examples of how sustainability can be integrated into paddle sport activities and governance.
- To encourage dialogue and exchange among participants on how to begin or strengthen sustainability initiatives within their own contexts.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:
- Explain why environmental sustainability is critical to the future of paddle sport.
- Identify practical actions and examples of good practice from National Federations.
- Recognise the key environmental challenges facing paddle sport and how they relate to their own activities.
- Outline initial steps their organisation, club or community can take to contribute to a more sustainable paddle sport ecosystem.
- Engage in informed discussions and collaborations to advance sustainability in paddlesport.
There are two more paddle sport and sustainability webinars scheduled in January and February 2026. Please stay tuned. We will announce them soon.
