UIM President Raffaele Chuilli hopes the sport can become a part of the Youth Olympic Games ©UIM

International Union of Powerboating (UIM) President Raffaele Chiulli is targeting a place on the Youth Olympic Games programme in a bid to improve the growth of the sport, the Italian told insidethegames here today.

Chiulli, re-elected as head of world powerboating's world governing body in October of last year, claimed a spot at the main Olympics is currently a step too far for his sport but the youth equivalent is more realistic option.

The Summer Youth Olympic Games are seen as a solid testing ground for demonstration sports and others which may harbour ambitions of one day securing a place in the Olympics. 

The next edition of the summer version of the Youth Olympics is due to take place in Buenos Aires in 2018, which may come too early for Chiulli's aim to come to fruition.

Powerboating was not one of the sports earmarked for inclusion in the Argentine capital after Buenos Aires 2018 chief executive Leandro Larosa revealed skateboarding, roller sports and sport climbing were the three main additional events currently being considered.

A host city for the 2022 edition of the Summer Youth Olympics has not yet been chosen.

Powerboating was one of only seven International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognised sports not to bid for inclusion at Tokyo 2020.

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Winners of world titles last year across the respective categories were honoured at a special ceremony in Monte Carlo today ©UIM

"It's a possibility for us," Chiulli, who is also the President of the Association of IOC-recognised sports (ARISF) and a SportAccord vice-president, said.

"We have a lot of good youth programmes and I think the teenagers who enjoy our sport would be delighted [if it was at the Youth Olympics].

"We believe we have the opportunity to break new barriers.

"The Youth Olympics are not just about sport - they are also about culture and other events and we have a lot of those elements already."

Chiulli, who promised it would be another "big year" for the sport, was speaking at the UIM Annual Awards Giving Gala, where the winners of last year's world titles across the powerboating disciplines - aqua bike, circuit, offshore, pleasure navigation and radio-controlled - were honoured at a ceremony here today.

Among the winners were Russian duo Andrei Paniushkin and Konstantin Ustinov, who clinched the Nations Cup World Championship for their nation in Doha last March and Frenchwoman Jennifer Menard was awarded with the world champion prize in the ski ladies GP1 event.

A number of special awards were also given out as 18-times world champion Renato Molinari of Italy picked up the Stefano Casiraghi Memorial Trophy and Belgian Daniel Dehaemers was given the UIM Safety Award.