The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated with the ICF after seven national federations were added at the 2008 ICF Congress in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

History

On January 19, 1924, six months before the Opening Ceremony in the French capital, the representatives of four National Federations - Austria, Denmark, Germany and Sweden - met in Copenhagen, Denmark and created the “Internationale Representantschaft für Kanusport” (IRK). With the intention to become the global governing body of canoeing, they chose Franz Reinicke from Germany as the first IRK President. It was renamed to the International Canoe Federation in 1946. In light of the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, the ICF suspended athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing at any International Canoe Federation events, and suspended all officials from Russia and Belarus from officiating at any event sanctioned by ICF, and from attending or taking part in any ICF meetings, committees, and forums. In March 2023, the Russian Canoe Federation sent a letter addressing the ISF and urging them to reverse the decision and allow Russian athletes to compete at ISF events. The RCF's statement included claims that the war was actually started by Ukraine and that "Russia defends peace". In May 2023, the International Canoe Federation reinstated Russian and Belarusian athletes, shortly after a Russian missile attack forced cancellation of a canoe event in Ukraine.

Disciplines

;Flatwater *

Canoe sprint Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

, formerly flatwater racing (

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

since 1938) * ICF Canoe Sprint Junior World Championships from 1985 to 2011 * ICF Canoe Sprint Junior & U23 World Championships from 2013 * ICF Masters Canoe Sprint World Championships * Canoe marathon, (

World championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

since 1988) * ICF Masters Canoe Marathon World Championships * ICF Canoe Marathon Masters World Cup *

Dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...

Canoe polo Canoe polo, also known as kayak polo or polo (to players and fans), is one of the competitive disciplines of kayaking. It incorporates ball-handling skills into a contact team game, wherein group tactics and positional play are as important as in ...

(

since 1994) *

Paracanoe Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation ( ...

Va'a Vaʻa is a word in Samoan language, Samoan, Hawaiian language, Hawaiian and Tahitian language, Tahitian which means 'boat', 'canoe' or 'ship'. It is cognate with other Polynesian words such as ''vaka (sailing), vaka'' or the Māori language, Māo ...

;Ocean * Canoe ocean racing (

since 2013) * Canoe sailing * Waveski *

Surf ski A surf ski (or surfski, or surf-ski) is a type of kayak in the kayaking family of paddling craft. It is generally the longest of all kayaks and is a performance oriented kayak designed for speed on open water, most commonly the ocean, although it ...

- since 2010 ;Whitewater / Wildwater *

Canoe slalom Canoe slalom (previously known as whitewater slalom) is a competitive sport with the aim to navigate a Spraydeck, decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on Whitewater, river rapids in the fastest time pos ...

, formerly slalom racing (

since 1949) * Wildwater canoeing (

since 1959) *

Canoe freestyle Canoe freestyle (also known as playboating) is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where people perform various technical moves in one place (a playspot), as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is ...

(formerly called playboating and before rodeo) (

since 2007) ;Flatwater and Ocean * Standup paddleboarding (SUP) * ICF SUP World Championships from 2019

Executive board

*Thomas Konietzko, President *Cecilia Farias, 1st Vice President *Aijie Liu, 2nd Vice President *Lluis Rabaneda Caselles 3rd Vice President * Luciano Buonfiglio, Treasurer

Membership

Continental associations

There are five continental associations affiliated with the ICF. These associations are responsible for organizing continental championships, providing support for their member federations and communicating their interests at the ICF Board meetings.Continental Associations
* Asian Canoe Confederation * Confederation of African Canoe * European Canoe Association * Oceania Canoe Association * Pan American Canoe Federation

National members

References

External links

*
ICF 30 November 2008 article on the 2008 ICF Congress in Rome
- accessed 30 November 2008. {{Authority control Canoeing governing bodies