The history of the Fédération Internationale de Canyonisme (FIC) is closely linked to the desire to have an international canyoning festival. The first international canyoning festival was called "RIC", this name comes from the initials of three French words: "Rassemblement International de Canyon". In 2003, Rich Carlson, (USA) and Koen Viaene (Belgium), wanted to create a place where canyoners from all over the world could meet and share information. Koen dedicated himself to organizing the first two RICs in Europe. Rich, organized it for the USA, in Mexico.

The FIC takes advantage of the annual organization of the RIC to convene and hold the organization's annual meeting.

The FIC takes advantage of the annual organization of the RIC to convene and hold meetings and debates on topics of interest in which it is considered that the national organizations that comprise it should participate and influence the generation of documentation that will mark the criteria on which the FIC will be built. canyoning of the present and the future.