Photo: Liam Smedley
OTTAWA, ONTARIO (March 11, 2018) – Canoe Kayak Canada is proud to announce that the 2018 Canadian Whitewater Canoe Kayak Championships will include Canoe Slalom, Canoe Freestyle and Wildwater events. The championships will be held at Canoe Meadows on the Kananaskis River, in Alberta, from July 31st to August 6th.
“We are very excited to bring these different disciplines into one major national event and make the Canadian Whitewater Championships a multidisciplinary festival this year,” said Kurtis Broda, President of the Alberta Whitewater Association. “This will be a great opportunity for all whitewater athletes to come together and experience our western rivers and compete in three whitewater disciplines”.
During this multidiscipline championship, Canada’s top Canoe Slalom, Freestyle and Wildwater athletes will be competing for National Championships title. The event will also serve as selections of the Canoe Freestyle National Team that will ultimately compete at the 2019 Freestyle World Championship in Sort, Spain.
Canadian and international Canoe Slalom athletes will also have the chance to race for international ranking points as the championships will be part of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Ranking Series.
“Our race organizers and officials have come a long way since the Pan-Am Championships and I am thrilled that the National Championships is part of the ICF ranking series”, said James Cartwright, Slalom High Performance at Canoe Kayak Canada. “This distinction gives our athletes a rare opportunity to race for international points on a Canadian course”.
The Alberta Slalom Canoe Kayak Association, Alberta Freestlye Kayak Association and the Alberta Whitewater Association are delighted to be hosting a joint Canadian Championship this summer.
The Canoe Meadows facility and the Kananaskis River provide an ideal venue for such an event including campground next to the river, two full size international slalom courses and a pedestrian friendly venue that gives family, visitors and competitors a great opportunity to watch the action close along the river!
The Whitewater National Championships will be open to all competitors and we invite all Whitewater fans to come cheer on the best Canadian athletes.
Canoe Kayak Canada will be posting the Registration Details soon.
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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For more information :
Joannie Verret
Communications Coordinator
jverret@canoekayak.ca
(418) 271-3785