Va'a | ICF - International Canoe Federation

Va'a Through the AgesVa'a boats have been travelling the Pacific Ocean for more than 4000 years. Ancient Polynesians and their ancestors moved across the ... Skiptomaincontent EditorLogin Va'aslider Va'a Theva’aboatisanancientvesselwhichhasbeentravellingthePacificOceanformorethan4,000years.Modernva'aboatsareintegratedintotheICF'sparacanoediscipline. Va’aThroughtheAgesVa’aboatshavebeentravellingthePacificOceanformorethan4,000years.AncientPolynesiansandtheirancestorsmovedacrossthePacificIslandsinsingleanddoublehullVa’aandsettledonremoteislands.Thesecanoeswereoftensailingvesselsandcouldbemuchlargerthantoday’sracingV6.WhenthefirstEuropeansarrivedinPolynesia,theyrecordedsailingVa’asofupto30minlength,whichweredesignedforlongoceanvoyages.ThemodernVa’asportspreadaroundmostofthePolynesian,MirconesianandMelanesianIslands,butitalsomovedtoAustralia,USA,Canada,SouthAmericaandAsiaandfinallytoEurope. Va’aasthesportweseetodaywasdevelopedinTahitiandHawaii.Atthebeginningofthe19thCentury,Va’aracesbecamearegularfeatureduringthetraditionalcultural“Heiva”festivalinTahiti.InHawaii,Va’aracingbegantoemergeattheturnofthe20thCentury.ClubslikeHuiNaluandtheOutriggerCanoeClubwerebothfoundedin1908andbothstillthrivetoday.Va’aandtheICFAttheDecember2009boardofdirectors’meetinginLondon,theICFwelcomedVa’aasarecognisedICFdisciplinethroughapartnershipwiththeInternationalVa'aFederation.ThisdisciplineisawelcomefeaturewithitsuniversalityandpopularityinthePacificnations,whichwillalsowidenthereachoftheICF.Va’aisalsoawelcomeadditionduetoitspredispositiontoParacanoe.Forthefirsttimein2009,Va’awasacategoryatthecanoesprintworldchampionshipswhereparacanoehelditsinauguraldemonstrationevent.Today,Va’aplaysanimportantpartoftheICF’sparacanoeplan,withthedisciplinesettomakeit'sParalympicdebutwiththreeeventsattheTokyo2020ParalympicGames.  Newsletter EmailAddress* like subscribe follow join Callusat+41(0)216120290mon-fri9:00-18:00CET [email protected] [email protected] ICF-AvenuedeRhodanie54,CH1007Lausanne,Switzerland CookieSettings THEICFISRECOGNISEDBYTHEINTERNATIONALOLYMPICCOMMITTEE DesignbyLAB