ICF Approves New Race Program for 2020 Olympics – Includes 3 Women’s Canoe Events

The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has approved a race program highlighting gender equality at the 2020 Olympic Games. The ICF has put the following program forward to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for ratification. The IOC will make a final decision following an analysis and review after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

See official ICF release to National Federations here: http://tinyurl.com/zs2x2or

See CanoeKayak Canada Press Release: http://ow.ly/X6LD4

WomenCAN International would like to thank the ICF for including 3 Women’s Canoe events in their 2020 Olympic Program Proposal to the IOC.

We wish to thank all of the National Federations, Sport officials, coaches, teammates, sponsors, parents, and all of our friends around the world just showing your support over the years to get us to this point.

We especially wish to thank every female canoeist – past, present and future – for believing in your own Olympic Dream, even when no one else believed women could paddle a tippy canoe with a single blade.

Lastly, thank you CanoeKayak Canada for leading the way, from introducing Canoe to the Olympics in 1924 to leading the way regarding inclusion of Women’s Canoe and gender equality.

Impact of this decision:

Olympic status “professionalizes” sports. Athletes have access to funding, professional coaching, access to the best equipment and other training support such as medical doctors, nutritionists, physiotherapy, etc. Without Olympic status, female canoeists continue to be at a severe economic and training/development disadvantage.

Our Sport (Canoe/Kayak) made its official Olympic debut in 1936. 80 years ago. Change is not easy and there is always pain.

Women have had to watch their fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, and friends go off and compete in the Olympics for 80 years. Women Canoeists are due, and ready.
And we will give the world an extraordinary show in Tokyo2020.

50+ countries have women racing and developing in canoe and we saw fast and hotly contested events in the the Sprint and Slalom World Championships. All of this just since our initial inclusion at the World level in 2010.