The future stars of canoe sprint will be on show this year in the picturesque Italian city of Auronzo di Cadore, the host of the 2023 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships.

It will be the first time Santa Caterina Lake on the slopes of the Dolomite mountains has hosted a major international canoeing event, and follows on from the venue hosting the 2018 European Junior and U23 canoe sprint championships.

The Junior and U23 World Championships is the premiere event for the planet’s best canoe sprint athletes, and will hold extra gravitas in the year before the Paris Olympics. The championships will be held one month before the senior world championships, which will double as the Olympic qualification competition.

The programme will also include mixed relay events, mixed K2 and C2, and 5000 metre races for both K1 and C1. An ICF Talent Identification Programme (TIP) will be held alongside the championships, giving athletes from developing nations a chance to access top-level coaching and facilities.

The 2022 ICF Junior and U23 World Championships in Szeged featured several Tokyo Olympians, including Hungary’s Adam Varga. Varga won a silver medal in the K1 1000 in Tokyo, and then went on to win double gold in Szeged in both the 500 and 1000 metre events.

Hungary dominated the medal table in 2022, winning an incredible 21 gold medals among an overall total of 41. Poland was next best with seven gold and 15 medals altogether.

The 2023 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships will be held from July 5 to July 9.