ICF PRESIDENT BACKS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RETURN TO TWO-YEAR CYCLE

International Canoe Federation President Thomas Konietzko says he believes the Ocean Racing World Championships should return to being held every second year.

The ICF introduced an ocean racing World Championships in 2013, which until 2021, was contested on a two-year cycle.

However, the organisation then shifted its showpiece event to an annual basis, aligning with its other paddling disciplines.

Speaking on The Paddler’s Pod, Konietzko agreed with the suggestion that the event is better suited to running on a biennial timeline.

“We are a service provider and we have to listen to our communities,” Konietzko said.

“If you want to listen to my personal opinion, I cannot agree more to have [the World Championships] every two years in all of our disciplines, because in the year between we can organise continental Championships. 

“That is how we can help develop our sport. I think it would be best in future that we hold a continental Championships one year, the next, a World Championships.”

Any change to the ICF World Championships wouldn’t be seen for at least four years, with the next three installments already confirmed. 

Next year, the event will be held in Villajoyosa, Spain, in place of the iconic EuroChallenge.

In 2027, the event will return to Tahiti in a repeat of the 2015 installment. 

Following that, the 2028 World Championships will head to Cherbourg, in the north of France, on the English Channel.

Whether any change is taken to the ICF’s deciding committees remains to be seen. But Konietzko acknowledged that ocean racing is unique to its Olympic disciplines, canoe sprint and canoe slalom, and should be treated as such.

“We are trying to find compromises but we have to be open-minded and adapt our disciplines to the needs of their community,” he said.

“We have to be very careful that the culture is not getting lost in cooperation with the ICF. 

“We have to deliver and add value to the community. They won’t come and join ICF events if they aren’t better than private events.”

“And we have value that we can add to the sport.”

Konietzko is travelling to Durban this week to see an Ocean Racing World Championships first-hand.

And there are some unexpected items on his agenda.

“I want to discuss with this community how we can make this format more exciting,” he said.

“We have the 2032 Olympics in Australia, a very crazy country with all kinds of watersports – especially surfski and ocean racing.

“If we want to offer our sport as an additional Olympic sport, we have to consider how we can attract more spectators.

“Is it good enough to go 20 kilometres along the ocean, all spread out? Or can we develop new, additional ideas – without killing the current format – that allows spectators to see it better?

“We have to listen to our ocean racing community. I’m looking forward to these talks and watching the racing.”

Konietzko told The Paddler’s Pod how the ICF plans to inject further funding into the discipline of ocean racing.

You can hear the full interview below from 17 minutes and 30 seconds into the episode, as well as on your favourite podcast platform.