The International Canoe Federation has happily celebrated International Women's Day by announcing that there will be an equal number of male and female athletes and officials at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. This means that gender equality has been achieved for the first time among international technical officials (ITO) selected to participate in the Olympic Games in rowing slalom and canoeing. A total of 48 ITOs were selected to participate in the 2024 Paris Games, including 24 men and 24 women. Gender parity was also achieved in Paracanoe: nine male and nine female officials were selected to participate in the Paralympic Games. This announcement highlights one of the key goals of the ICF as part of its "Fit for the Future" strategy, aimed at supporting inclusivity and gender equality in all aspects of paddle sports. In recent years, the ICF has achieved significant success: the number of women delegates at the last Congress has increased and more women are heading commissions. The ICF achieved gender balance in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic competition for the first time after the inclusion of the women's C1 200 and C2 500 distances in sprint canoe and the women's C1 category in canoe slalom. ICF President Thomas Konecko said he was pleased that there would be gender equality between athletes and officials in Paris 2024. "It is extremely important that we ensure 50-50 representation at all levels of paddle sports. Our announcement today that there will be the same number of women and men at the Olympic and Paralympic Games is another important milestone in our mission to ensure gender equality. We are working very hard to increase the number of women in leadership positions at the international, national and club levels, as this is vital for the future of our sport," said Mr. Konecko ICF Vice President Cecilia Farias is an experienced ITO who has been selected to participate in six Olympic Games, including two on the jury. "I worked as an ITO at a time when most officials were men. My male colleagues have always been very respectful and professional and eager to share their experiences with me.Women leaders have always been and will always be welcome at the ICF, as we accept everyone. It is fantastic that we have attracted more young ITO women to the Olympic Games. This not only shows the power of women's participation, but also that we are making room for a new generation," Dr. Farias said.