On Thursday evening, my children and I sat utterly transfixed, eyes glued to the screen as Faith Kipyegon toed the start line with history in her sights. She wasn’t just running a mile – she was chasing the elusive sub-four minute barrier. No woman had ever done it. The anticipation was electric. Nike had done a sterling job building the moment. The storytelling, the tension, the pacing, the sheer beauty of the run – it was all there. And when it was over, the feeling lingered. A mix of awe, inspiration and the quiet ache of a dream still unfulfilled.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the story of Roger Bannister. The idea of a man, a doctor no less, breaking human limits on a grey Oxford track in 1954. I sometimes visit the Iffley Road track, where it all happened, for a dose of inspiration. There’s something about standing there, picturing that final lap, that reminds me why I fell in love with sport in the first place.
That same love is what drove me to start Paddle Games. A long shot, some may think – and perhaps it is. But I’ve always dreamt that one day a brand like Nike might back one of our events. Not just send us gear, but throw their full creative weight behind making canoeing exciting, visible – inevitable.
I once had a taste of that dream. Many years ago, back when I was still an athlete, I was invited to speak at a conference. There were two university professors on the panel, and one high-up Nike executive. To my surprise, we got on great. Afterwards, he told me one of his colleagues would be in touch.
Weeks later, a friendly voice called me up, asking for my address. I thought nothing of it – maybe a T-Shirt and a thank you card. Then, just before Christmas, I came home to find three enormous boxes blocking my flat’s front door. Inside? Jackets, shoes, training kits – all Nike. It was like a personal sponsorship deal, only without the announcement. And every year for the next couple of years, more boxes arrived. Unmarked generosity, quietly done.
But there was a catch. Canoeing, I was told, wasn’t a strategic sport for them. I couldn’t speak about it publicly. And in a world before social media, it stayed a secret between me, my postman, and the occasional curious neighbour.
Looking back, it was never about the freebies. It was about what they symbolised – the idea that somewhere, someone believed that an athlete, no matter the sport, mattered.
But the truth is this: until we make canoeing an undeniably exciting spectacle, brands like Nike will always look elsewhere. That’s why I started Paddle Games. I wanted to build not just an event, but a movement. Something with the adrenaline of a sprint final and the storytelling of a marathon record attempt. I want young people to look at canoeing and feel the same thrill I felt watching Kipyegon chase history.
I know it won’t happen overnight. But as a stubborn Basque who thrives on challenges, I’ll keep going.
It won’t be a one-person show either. I’ll need more bold people who make things happen, like our partners in Palma de Mallorca, whose vision is to host the equivalent of the Monaco Grand Prix of Canoeing.
And so I carry on – one event, one brand conversation at a time. Because I believe in the beauty of our sport. I believe it deserves its moment in the sun. And because somewhere, just out of reach for now, lies our own sub four-minute mile challenge: a brand powerful enough to take the sport to a bold, new level.
EKAITZ SAIES 
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