World Junior & U23 Water Slalom Championships in Liptovský Mikuláš (SVK) in the spirit of fair play

On 2 - 7 July 2024, eleven years since the last World Junior & U23 Slalom Championships organized in Liptovský Mikuláš, the Ondrej Cibák complex in Tatras hosted the World Championships in these youth age categories once again.  Approximately 500 athletes from 49 countries took part in the event, which is one of the most important sporting events in Slovakia this year. It was an honour for Fair Play Club of the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee (SOSC) that in cooperation with the Slovak Canoe Association, its wild water section and the event's organising committee, for the first time at a water slalom event, a competition for the Fair Play Award was also announced.  This initiative was received extremely positively by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and thanks to its support, the jury composed of Jean Michel Prono, Chairman of the ICF Technical Commission for Water Slalom, Alexander Slafkovsky, Chairman of the OC of the Junior & U23 World Championships in Water Slalom and Katarína Ráczová, President of the Club fair play SOSC received 11 nominations for the award.

After a long discussion, the jury decided to award Ivan Cibák for his friendly, helpful and proactive approach during the organization of the World Championships, which went far beyond his duties and for which he was popular among both domestic and foreign participants.

The jury was also pleased with another proposal that is worth sharing, although it has nothing to do with sporting events and therefore could not be included. The story was sent by Jill Bassett, who represented the Australian Rowing Organisation in Liptovský Mikuláš.

"Even though it's not on or near the water, I've watched this interaction between a member of the rowing community and the general public and I've been extremely impressed.

I was coming out of the local supermarket when I noticed an elderly lady with a cane and a large shopping bag trying to walk down the stairs. I watched as Hanna, who was approaching the stairs from the opposite side, stopped to allow the lady to descend. When she noticed the lady struggling with her wand and shopping bag, she immediately approached her and offered to carry her bag. The lady accepted the offer and it was obvious that she was both pleased and touched by Hanna's gesture. Hanna's display of courtesy, kindness and empathy was exceptional. It was a positive experience to see a young person, and someone from our boating community at that, which made me extremely happy!" wrote Jill in her proposal.

Hanna Danek is a representative from Poland and won a silver medal in the junior women's K1 slalom.

27.07.2024