International Canoe Federation President Thomas Konietzko visited Hungary for the first time since it was announced that the International Federation would establish its headquarters in Budapest.
Mr Konietzko met with Ádám Schmidt, the Ministry of Defence’s State Secretary for Sports in Hungary, to discuss and finalise various details about the opening of the headquarters, scheduled for early 2025.
Before the meeting, Mr Konietzko visited the Kovács Katalin Nemzeti Kajak-Kenu Akadémia, a state-supported canoe-kayak facility.
He was accompanied by the Hungarian Kayak-Canoe Federation President and Secretary General Gábor Schmidt and Bálint Szakács, respectively, Bálint Vékássy, Global Director of Events at the ICF and President of the academy Katalin Kovács, who is a three-time Olympic champion and a 31-time world gold medallist.
During the tour, Mr Konietzko saw the Hungarian U23 women's team in training, with the Hungarian Canoe Federation and the State Secretariat confirming that the facilities will be open to national teams around the world.
The state-of-the-art academy that has a counter-current pool, high-altitude department, gyms, sports diagnostics, accommodation and more, will also be open to hosting ICF's Talent Identification Programme camps and other development activities.
Mr Konietzko thanked Mr Schmidt and the Hungarian Government for the support, confirming that the legal process for the move has begun.
“We are thrilled to have officially started the process of moving our headquarters to Budapest and are thankful for the support of the Hungarian Government and all other officials involved who are helping us to make the move possible,” Mr Konietzko said.
“With our new headquarters in Budapest, we can further professionalise our competitions, to make our global sport even more popular through improved public relations and a stronger presence on social media.
“Beyond building a team, we have bigger plans for this headquarters. This investment will not only benefit our sport but will also contribute to the local economy, as we work to give something back to this vibrant community.”
Pictures by undersecretariat
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