ICF Canoe Marathon Committee activities

Mixed relay successfully tested in Brandenburg 

The ICF Canoe Marathon World Cup in Brandenburg was designated as the last race where invitations could still be earned for the Super Cup in Hangzhou. There were 23 countries in Brandenburg with great participation in all classes and categories. World Cups are widely used in marathon to test new elements in our sport but also to give the athletes a chance to see how far they are, and or what they still need to do to get better. For the ICF Canoe Marathon Committee, it was a great opportunity to do a different form of short distance race and introduce the mixed relay. Our preference was clearly to involve all age groups so that we could shape the team spirit feeling as a junior got the chance to paddle together with their national idol. The format we opted for was to have one junior men, one junior woman, one  senior men and one senior woman compete together with each 1.2km lap including a portage. It was a test and it was not clear beforehand whether it would be a success, but it was a success. A total of 11 teams made it a real celebration and were cheered loudly in the stands. We can conclude that it is necessary to have more tests and we will now look at how to develop further in the coming years. We hope we can also develop World Cups in all other continents, which are important to develop our sport more worldwide.

Sella Decent  

The Sella Decent in Asturias has been an important marathon paddling competition in the world for 85 years. More than 1,000 paddlers compete in this race including the best in the world. In fact, this year was a top year in terms of number of countries and athletes. This race is referred to as the Fiesta de la Piragüism and attracts more than 100,000 visitors. It creates an atmosphere that is unparalleled in the canoeing world. The start of the procession is preceded by the national anthem of Asturias which gives you goosebumps. After the final stanzas, a canoe shot ensures everyone hears the start signal clearly and the photo below gives an impression of the start. The finish is like nothing else, with lots of spectacle, folk music and dancing. Marathon is more than just the concept paddled during World Cups and World and Continental Championships, there are many forms of it and that gives our discipline a chance to develop the sport of canoeing worldwide.

Record-breaking World Championships 

Such an event as the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships has a long run-up. Preparations for Metkovic, Croatia started after winning the bid and many technical meetings have taken place before the real build-up happens. For a race where not all facilities are available, everything has to be built, including the portage, finish tower, starting line etc. With volunteers and residents of Metkovic, an enthusiastic National Federation is then able to carry it out.  This year’s World Championships is a qualifier for The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, making it even more important for the K1 men's and K1 women's seniors.  A record number of countries (40) and registrations (532) make it clear that this World Championships is on the rise and we expect top races during the four-day event for juniors, under 23s and juniors. The masters paddle prior to this World Championships and there is also high participation there with 38 nations and more than 300 entries.  We also hope that this is the last demonstration race for the Para and that the Congress decides from next year onwards to let it become a World Championships, and the marathon world is looking forward to great competitions in Para as well.

C- sit down boats  

Together with the marathon technical delegate in the Pan American Canoe Federation, and support from North America and the American Canoe Association, a group has been formed with interested parties to try to get us to involve the sit down C boats as a side event at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships, which will be paddled in Sarasota, Florida in 2026. We are positive and it would be great to involve these very popular boats in our discipline. Sit down boats are very popular in America and many marathons are organised for these groups we hope we can involve this group in the canoe family.

Super Cup excitement 

This year is a unique one for the ICF with the staging of the Super Cup which includes four disciplines in Canoe Polo, Canoe Slalom, Canoe Sprint and Canoe Marathon. For our sport, this is a great event that we are very much looking forward to. The chairman is closely involved in the technical preparation which is quite a challenge but the Chinese organisation is enthusiastic and will definitely make it a great event.

World Games preparations  

On August 9 and 10 in 2025, Canoe Marathon will be paddled in Chengdu. We will paddle there together with Dragon Boat, on the same days, so that we can show our sport to a wider audience. All preparations are still in full swing and there will be a test event in Chengdu on October 21 and 22, so we can get an idea of what needs to be changed or can be done differently. 

By Ruud Heijselaar, Chair of the ICF Canoe Marathon Committee