Faced with the war in Ukraine, the International Canoe-Kayak Federation (ICF) is mobilizing. Its president, the German Thomas Konietzko, sets the example. He traveled to Turkey last week to meet more than 120 Ukrainian athletes – 51 seniors, 51 juniors and 25 paracanoe athletes – currently stuck in the country (photo above). A large part of them will soon travel to Romania, where the national federation has offered free accommodation and full board in its high performance center. Another group of athletes will make the trip to Bulgaria, while the juniors have been offered places in Poland, Hungary, France, Germany and Estonia. According to Thomas Konietzko, accommodation remains to be found for the 25 Ukrainian paracanoe specialists, five of whom are in wheelchairs. At the same time, a bank account was opened at the initiative of the ICF to receive donations intended for Ukrainian athletes and their families.
