Following the recent decision by the Board of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) to propose changes to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Paris 2024 Olympic Program, CRNZ has worked with a number of other nations to produce a joint letter to the ICF expressing concerns over: the lack of consultation; the impact that the decision will have on athletes, coaches and the sport as a whole; and the apparent breach of the ICFs own rules when voting for the change.
If endorsed by the IOC, the decision of the ICF will lead to; the removal of two Canoe Sprint medal events from the Paris 2024 Olympic program to be replaced by two Extreme Slalom events; and the reduction of quota places in men’s and women’s kayak (K1) events in Canoe Slalom.
Whilst many National Federations do not necessarily object to Extreme Slalom as a future Olympic event, the lack of consultation with athletes and national federations around the world is of concern to CRNZ.
The letter to the ICF, which have endorsed, focuses on these issues and the process adopted to reach their decision, which appears to have been made in contravention of the procedural rules of the ICF.
A copy of the letter which can be found at this link, calls for the decision to be reversed and for a more consultative and data driven process to be put in place for making any future decisions which have such a significant impact on the future of the sport throughout the world.