OTTAWA – The best freestyle paddlers in the World will be bringing their most impressive tricks, flips and spins to Canada next year. The International Canoe Federation has awarded the 2015 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships to CanoeKayak Canada to be hosted by Wilderness Tours on the Ottawa River.
Competitors will showcase their skills on the Ottawa River as they push their physical and creative limits to rack up points in pursuit of being crowned World Champion. The competition will take place from August 30 to September 5 of 2015 in the Ottawa Valley. The venue is an hour and a half drive west of Ottawa on a wave known as “Garberator”.“We’re gearing up for a pretty incredible show,” said Robert Zwanenburg, CanoeKayak Canada’s Freestyle Chair. “This sport is known for its extreme factor and bringing the best in the world to Canada will do a lot to build the profile of freestyle paddling and our very talented National Team athletes.”
Boasting some of the best whitewater in the world, Wilderness Tours has used this location to host competitions for twenty years and hosted the ICF Freestyle World Championships once before in 2007.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the Championships again,” said Joe Kowalski, President of Wilderness Tours. “It will be a big boost to the sport and to this area. We’ve got an extraordinary venue here and we can’t wait to welcome the World to our backyard.”
Wilderness Tours is Canada’s largest whitewater rafting company and will celebrate its 40thanniversary next year.
CanoeKayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada. The organization’s vision is to be a Canadian sport for families, communities and champions. From supporting clubs to developing a competitive National Team, CanoeKayak Canada works to grow a sport which is a rich part of Canada’s heritage.
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Media Contact:
Ian Miller
Communications and Marketing Officer, CanoeKayak Canada
613.314.1352