The Vice-President of the Government of Catalonia, Laura Vilagrà Pons, celebrated the "important moment" that Catalan sport is experiencing while welcoming the 2024 Kayak Cross junior world champion, Faust Clotet, to the Palau de la Generalitat (headquarters of the Government of Catalonia). At only 17 years of age, the El Pallars-born athlete of the Pallars Sports Association was proclaimed the winner of this event held at the beginning of July in the city of Liptovský Mikuláš (Slovakia).

During the meeting, the Vice-President highlighted the work of the Canoeing Federation and all the institutions of El Pallars for elite and grassroots sport, and reaffirmed the Catalan Government's commitment to the Pyrenees: "We said that we were committed to the Pyrenees regardless of whether or not the Olympic Games were held and we are proving it, investing resources and providing support wherever necessary”. Vilagrà also explained that, in recent months, the Catalan Government has multiplied eightfold its support for clubs, from €750,000 in 2021 to €6 million in 2024, and has allocated €15 million in aid to the Catalan federations, "the highest figure in the last fifteen years," she said. For the Vice-President, these improvements will mean a "change of cycle" so that the federations can better plan where to allocate each of the subsidies.

In her speech, the Vice-President also underlined the Catalan Government's commitment to the technification and professionalisation of sportspeople, with 10.1 million euros and 5,000 sportspeople receiving scholarships. In the case of canoeing, the Catalan Government allocates €150,000 per year to maintain and consolidate equipment. "We are a sporting country, with great talent, as demonstrated by the high percentage of Catalan sportsmen and women in the Olympic Games in Paris,"she said.

For his part, Faust Clotet has left not room for doubt about the potential of the sportsmen and women of El Pallars and the need to allocate more resources to improve all facilities there. The next appointment for the Lleida-born athlete will be at the ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships, which will take place from 15 to 18 August in Kraków (Poland).

Catalonia, host of the ICF Canoe World Championships 2027

On 9 April, the International Canoe Federation announced that La Seu d'Urgell and Sort had been chosen to host the ICF Canoe World Championships in 2027, ahead of Paris and Kraków, who were the favourites. The jury recognised the Catalan proposal for its environmental and energy sustainability, as well as its positive impact on the territory. For the mayor of Sort, Baldo Farré, the celebration of this competition should be understood as a "country-wide act" and has called on institutions and citizens to get involved "at full speed" to make it a success.

Sort will host the downhill and freestyle competitions, taking advantage of the descent of the Noguera Pallaresa River, at the end of June, and the Olympic slalom and kayak cross events will be held at El Segre Olympic Park, in La Seu d'Urgell, at the end of September.