A victory for Budapest, a setback for Lausanne. Meeting in its annual congress (photo above) for two days in Antalya, Turkey (November 7 and 8), the International Canoe Kayak Federation (ICF) has decided to move its world headquarters. It will leave the Olympic capital, in the canton of Vaud, to join the Hungarian city. The decision was approved by an overwhelming majority (85,2%) of the body's delegates present in Turkey. Comment from the president of the ICF, the German Thomas Konietzko: " This is a crucial moment for our sport, a new opportunity to further professionalise our sports administration and accelerate our ambitious plans to popularise paddle sports worldwide. With the support of Hungary, we are well placed to successfully deliver the next phase of growth for our organisation.. » The new headquarters will open at the beginning of 2025. The move will be accompanied by a tripling of the body's staff. The ICF is not leaving Lausanne completely, since it will retain a " administrative presence » in the Swiss city, via its office at the Maison du Sport International. The ICF is not the first international federation of the Olympic movement to leave Lausanne to settle in Budapest. World Aquatics has made the same move, also maintaining a presence in Switzerland.
