ROUDNICE, July 17, 2023 - The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has long played its part in promoting its various disciplines worldwide. Of these, canoe sprint and canoe slalom, which feature at the Olympics, now receive considerable funding across the globe.

Securing sponsorship for the non-Olympic disciplines is however more difficult. Despite these challenges, a few countries consistently perform at an extremely high level. In the interest of the sport as a whole, it will be increasingly important to attract a wide range of athletes to the races.

This year saw a prime example of the way forward: the Junior and U23 Wildwater World Championships in Roudnice, Czech Republic. The local federation let their young canoeists start in all the races and most finished on the podium. It came as no surprise that they also took the overall trophy. The Czech Canoe Federation looks back on a long tradition of success in canoe slalom. Their close rivals were Germany, France, Italy and Slovenia. Canada also won a bronze in a wildwater competition for the first time.

Some 27 nations with many young paddlers made these World Championships very special, not least thanks to the artificial whitewater course on the River Elbe and the good weather. No fewer than 30 former world champions attended the event - a true inspiration for the young people there. 

What they will remember for years to come was undoubtedly the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, at the medal ceremony. An even greater thrill was watching the President getting into a double kayak with a former Czech world champion and attempting the course. Having mastered it without capsizing, he earned well-deserved cheers and applause.

Such a highlight was valuable publicity for the Czech Federation, the many volunteers and sponsors for the future. It also goes to show how professional organisations can make a sports event truly unforgettable.