UNITED RAFTING · PRESIDENT
Danilo Barmaz
Danilo Barmaz is the President of United Rafting and one of the figures who has contributed most directly to the development of rafting in Italy and to its international organisation.
From the Dora Baltea.
His involvement in the sport dates back to its earliest years in Europe. In 1987, in Villeneuve, in the Aosta Valley, Barmaz and a group of canoeists founded Rafting Aventure, the first Italian rafting school, on the Dora Baltea. What began as a pioneering initiative at a time when rafting was still establishing itself in Europe developed into a long-term commitment to the technical, sporting and institutional growth of the discipline.
Building the sport in Italy and internationally.
In 2004, Barmaz became President of the then Italian Rafting Association. During his presidency, Italian rafting progressively entered the country's organised sports system: in 2005, the organisation was recognised by the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation and subsequently by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), eventually becoming the Italian Rafting Federation (F.I.Raft), an autonomous national sports governing body recognised by CONI. Barmaz led the Federation for sixteen years, during which competitive rafting, the national event structure and the technical organisation of the sport developed considerably across Italy.
His work subsequently moved to the international level. In 2018, Barmaz became the first President of the World Rafting Federation (WRF), leading the organisation from its foundation and throughout its international development. Under his presidency, the WRF expanded its network of National Federations, developed its international competition structure and strengthened cooperation within the wider paddlesport community.
Bringing international rafting together.
A central part of his recent work has been the reunification of international rafting. Together with International Rafting Federation President Joseph Willis Jones, Barmaz led the institutional dialogue between the WRF and IRF, formally launched with the Lausanne Declaration of 24 May 2024. The process established a common international competition calendar from 2025 and progressively brought the two organisations together within a single governance framework.
The process culminated in 2026 with the establishment of United Rafting. On 21 April 2026, at the Federation's first Elective Congress in Pau, France, Danilo Barmaz was elected its first President.
Leading United Rafting.
His presidency builds on almost forty years of involvement in rafting: from the first experiences on the Dora Baltea and the creation of Italy's first rafting school, through the institutional development of the sport in Italy, to the creation of a unified international federation.
As President of United Rafting, Barmaz leads this new phase of international rafting, working with National Federations to consolidate a common sporting and institutional framework and support the development of the sport worldwide.
