ICF Canoe Polo Committee activities

Positive step for World Championships 

The 2024 ICF Canoe Polo World Championships is on the horizon with the event held from October 15 to 20 in Deqing, People’s Republic of China immediately following the multi-discipline Super Cup in Hangzhou.  Teams are training to peak at the right moment with some having already started their trips to various warm up competitions. The World Championships is an intense atmosphere with both the senior and U21 competitions combined and games across four pitches running all day for almost all of the six days.  In Canoe Polo there is a limit to the maximum number of teams at the final rounds of each World Championships to ensure the schedule is even possible. Entry it is at 93 per cent of the maximum, which bearing in mind the location, logistics etc is a really positive step forward and shows the strength in depth of the discipline.   

In July, the ICF Canoe Polo Committee conducted a positive visit to Deqing and at the end of September the Chair will go to Ningbo, Deqing and the Super Cup venue to try and ensure all is progressing as planned. 

Click here for the groups

Super Cup entries confirmed 

With the co-ordination of the disciplines of Canoe Sprint, Canoe Slalom, Canoe Marathon and Canoe Polo this has not been a simple task but now the Olympics and Paralympics are over it’s all coming together fast.

The following teams confirmed their entry: 

Men: Germany, Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Chinese Taipei, Japan, China and China U21 

Women: Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, Great Britain, Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Japan, China and China U21 

World Games qualification system 

Teams will qualify from this year’s World Championships in accordance with the qualification system. 

Summary: The six highest placed teams in each event at the 2024 ICF Canoe Polo World  Championships will secure a place at Chengdu 2025.  

The highest placed team in each event at the World Championships from a continent that has not secured a spot will obtain a quota for their National Federation as long as this team is ranked in the top 12.  

Otherwise, the next best ranked team not yet qualified will obtain a qualification place for their National Federation regardless of the continent.  

The Host National Federation will qualify a place in each event if this team is ranked at the  World Championships. 

The ICF Canoe Polo Technical Delegate will be attending the next International World Games Association meeting direct from the World Championships – a lot of commitment, like all committees and their members, from a volunteer in the sport! 

Canoe Polo rule changes 

No CR or PR changes were proposed to the ICF Board this year. A small number of sport rule changes were proposed, and approved by the ICF Board for commencement January 1 2025.

• Abandoning a game and consequences to teams – this will be implemented at this years world championships.
• Behind the line any accredited person can form part of the maximum of 3 persons e.g. an injured player may still be present.
• Downgrading of non-active referees.
• A Code of Conduct for Commentators. 

And perhaps the most significant change but due to the significance for introduction on 1st January 2027 and not 2025: 

• A two-stage shot clock similar to other balls sports such as basketball and water polo to discourage passive play in the second and subsequent attack phases. The initial clock will remain at 60 seconds but subsequent phases by the same team will have a 30 second limit as already being used in Germany in speed polo.

By Greg Smale, Chair of the ICF Canoe Polo Committee