An ICF Women’s Symposium has been scheduled for Dublin in late September.

It is expected to deal with leadership, coaching and increasing female participation on and off the water.

"We have seen gender equity at the Olympics, Paralympics and at our international events, but when we look at the number of women coaches, or how many women we have on our Boards and serving as officials, we still have a long way to go," ICF vice-president Dr Cecilia Farias said.

The seminar will be open to women at every level of paddle sports.

"I’m really looking forward to two days of discussions in Dublin, and hearing the ideas of women in our sport on how we can open up pathways to the top," Dr Farias added.

"We always look at this issue mostly from the perspective of men, so I will be very interested to hear the perspective of women."

Women’s canoeing was first introduced to the Olympics 75 years ago, when a single 500 metres kayak singles race was included on the programme at Henley.

Canoe slalom first appeared at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

The conference is scheduled to take place on September 26 and 27. 

Details on how to register will be announced later.