INTERNATIONAL CANOE FEDERATION

About

Even though historically canoes and kayaks were always essential use for commercial purposes by various communities, it has also become popular for recreational or sporting use. It was in 1866 that the Royal Canoe Club was founded in London. Later the American Canoe Association was established in 1880. By 1900 the Canadian Canoe Association was founded, and by 1936 the British Canoe Union. Canoeing as a sport took a major step forward when Sprint Canoe made it into the 1924 Paris Olympics as a demonstration sport.  

A further important aspect to the fast-growing sport was the formation of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) in 1946. This became a major step in creating an umbrella organisation for all the national canoe organisations around the world. The federation is based in Lausanne, Switzerland and currently there are over 150 nations affiliated to ICF. With a vision to inspire people to pursue a lifelong passion for paddling, ICF focusses on providing global leadership to engage more and more people to participate in the sport. There are ten official disciplines with a further four recognized disciplines. Many of these form part of the Olympic programme. ICF continues to promote the sport worldwide to build on membership and participation.  

Canoe Sprint – flatwater race where the paddler competes in a striding position using a single-blade paddle. The types of boat can be a canoe and kayak.

Paracanoe – for athletes with an impairment competing in a kayak and va’a.

Canoe Slalom and Extreme – a timed event where paddlers navigate a whitewater course passing through a series of gates going upstream and downstream. In Extreme paddlers complete a whitewater course in identical plastic creek boats, where contact is allowed and an eskimo roll is compulsory.

Wildwater Canoeing – paddlers compete in a canoe and kayak in a classic and sprint race.

Canoe Marathon – a standard distance of up to 30 km where paddlers can compete in a canoe and kayak.

Canoe Polo – team sport contested in open water and a swimming pool.

Dragon Boat – competed in a 10-seater and 20-seater over a clearly defined course in the shortest possible time.

Canoe Freestyle – competitors score points performing tricks and flips on a set water feature.

Canoe Ocean Racing – competitors complete a long-distance course in surfski, sea kayak, and sea touring races.

Stand Up Paddling – one of the fastest growing disciplines competed on lakes, rivers, canals and ocean courses.  

Recognised disciplines:

Canoe Sailing – began in 1886 with a World Championship every three years.

Waveski Surfing – combines paddle power while sitting on a kayak and surfing.

Rafting – a recent addition to the various disciplines.

Va’a - an ancient vessel and now integrated into the paracanoe discipline.

International Canoe Federation

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