Ottawa, ON (May 21, 2021) – The Canoe Kayak Canada Whitewater Council and Whitewater Ontario have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Whitewater National Championships planned for August 16-22 at the Minden Hills Whitewater Preserve following a review of the public health restrictions and challenges of running such an event during the pandemic. A working group of coaches, event organizers and technical experts had been working throughout the winter to try to develop creative ways of rising above these challenges.
Unfortunately, with the uncertainty of the pandemic now moving into the summer months, projected reduced participation, and the financial implications of staging this event at the Minden Whitewater preserve have made it unviable to host the National Championships this summer. The Whitewater National Championships is a week long paddling festival featuring a combination of Freestyle, Wildwater, Canoe Slalom and Extreme Slalom events that aim to inspire young paddlers to progress through CKC’s athlete development pathway.
In light of the cancellation of the Championships, Canoe Kayak Canada in collaboration with our provincial organizations Whitewater Ontario, Eau Vive Quebec, The Alberta Whitewater Association and the Alberta Freestyle Kayak Association are planning to host team trials at multiple locations across Canada to ensure that whitewater paddlers will have access to competitive opportunities this summer provided local public health regulations allow for these events to proceed.
2021 Whitewater Team Trials event schedule
| Event | Location | Date |
| Eastern Freestyle Team Trials | Salaberry de Valleyfield | August 14-15 |
| Canoe Slalom Team Trials | Eastern Ontario (Location TBD) | August 21-22 |
| Wildwater National Team Trials | Eastern Ontario | August 16-20 (precise date TBD) |
| Western Freestyle Team Trials | Kananaskis, Alberta | September 11-12 |
Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoe and @CanoeKayakCAN for more live updates.
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About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) 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 :
Colleen Coderre
Communications
ccoderre@canoekayak.ca