CEO BLOG – SEPTEMBER 2022

Our Aussies continued to shine on the world stage this month, with Olympic champion Jess Fox crowned the overall World Cup champion in kayak at the final ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup event of the season in Spain.

Congratulations must also go to Stand Up Paddler Michael Booth who won two gold medals at the 2022 ICF Stand Up Paddling World Championships in Poland.

Our Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint team also delivered a strong performance at the ICF Junior & U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Hungary, securing five medals. Their performances impressed us all and made everyone supporting from home so proud. I’d also like to thank the team behind the team – the coaches, support staff, state institutes and academies for all the work they continue to put into the development of our athletes.

Back at home, two of our canoe sprint rising stars were recognised with Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarships for 2023. Congratulations to Claudia Bailey who was awarded a Tier 2 scholarship, and Jasmine Rayward who was presented with a Tier 3 scholarship. On behalf of Paddle Australia, I’d also like to thank the Sport Australia Hall of Fame for their ongoing support of our sport and our athletes.

While preparing the Annual Report this month, it has given me an opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months. I would personally like to thank our paddlers, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators, parents and support networks for their ongoing support and commitment. The past year has continued to present us with challenges, but by sticking together I truly believe we have put ourselves, our sport and our community in the best position possible to come out of this stronger on the other side.

As we look towards the next 12 months, I look forward to our paddling community being able to reunite again. The start of summer is fast approaching, and I know that our members are looking forward to spending more time afloat! In light of this, it was great to be able to unveil our 2022/23 Events Calendar this month, and we look forward to bringing the events to life and our community back together over the next 12 months.

This month, we also bid farewell to Lucy Warhurst, who has been working in the role of Sport Operations Manager for the past 12 months. PA is grateful to Lucy for the contribution she has made over the past 12 months and, whilst we are very sorry to see her go, we wish her every success in her future endeavors.

Until next month, and as always, stay safe when exploring our beautiful waterways!

Phil Jones

Paddle Australia CEO

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