News

The European Canoe Association (ECA), the umbrella organization for European canoe associations, was founded in Rome in 1993 and today brings together more than 40 national organizations. Its goal is to promote canoeing in all its facets. In recent decades, however, the focus has mostly been on competitive sports on European championships, cups, and youth programs.

The European Canoe Association (ECA), the umbrella organization for European
canoe associations, was founded in Rome in 1993 and today brings together more
than 40 national organizations. Its goal is to promote canoeing in all its facets. In
recent decades, however, the focus has mostly been on competitive sports on
European championships, cups, and youth programs.

Recreational sports have only played a minor role so far. That is now changing: under its current president, Jean Zoungrana, and the newly elected Board of Directors, the ECA has embarked on a new direction. The new motto, “Paddle sports for all,” stands for openness, diversity, and participation and explicitly includes recreational sports.

A visible sign of this development is the appointment of the Chair of the ECA's new
Recreational Committee to Gabriele Koch who represents the idea of active, nature-
loving, and communal canoeing at the European level. At the meeting in Budapest in
March, she emphasized the central importance of recreational sports as the cradle of
all canoeing activities and presented a vision for future cooperation between
European associations.

After intensive preparatory discussions, the ECA first open online conference on
recreational sports took place at the end of September. Contrary to initial scepticism,
28 representatives from all over Europe took part. Discussions focused on the added
value that a European platform can offer and which topics should be prioritized
initially.

Three key areas were identified:

• Education and qualification
• A European recreational sports calendar
• Access to waterways and information on navigation regulations

The ECA intends to act as a central information and networking platform for these
topics in the future. Just a few days after the conference, four candidates had already
applied for the new Recreational Technical Committee, which can now officially begin
its work.

The exchange with the national associations is to be continued in an explicitly open
and continuous manner. The next online meeting is already planned for early
November, with a focus on the “Joint European Recreational Sports Calendar.”
This opens up a new European perspective for its members: recreational sports are
becoming visible on the continental stage – as a connecting element between
countries, cultures, and generations.

The ECA's message is clear: “Paddle sports for all”, paddling is for everyone.