Paddlers geared up for busy six weeks

As the world continues to reopen after the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, SA’s paddlers across a number of disciplines are preparing for a variety of world championship events over the next month and a half, for many marking a return to international competition after 18 months.

The lack of travel for national paddlers has been devastating for many who were unable to represent the country at the recent ICF Ocean Racing World Championships. But since the increase in the age categories eligible for the vaccine, many more athletes are now able to travel more freely.

After many months on the sidelines, September’s international calendar is jam-packed with events including the ICF Junior and Under-23 Sprint World Championships in Portugal and the Olympic Hopes Regatta in the Czech Republic.

For the president of Canoeing SA Kim Pople, being able to see so many of our paddlers back on the international stage has taken a huge effort for a lot of people.

“We have seen so much work go on behind the scenes by the tour managers to make these tours a possibility,” Pople said. “We are so excited to know that we have got five tours coming up in the next five weeks and given that SA is banned from a lot of countries, it’s unbelievable the work that has gone into making these tours a reality.

“I cannot wait to see a huge contingent of SA paddlers travelling around the world and competing on the international stage again,” Pople added.

The Junior and Under-23 World Championships give important international competition experience to the up and coming sprinters who are committed to building a career that they hope will include competing at the Olympic Games. The Senior Sprint World Championships will give flatwater paddlers a chance to prove themselves, particularly those who were unable to secure their Olympic qualification to Tokyo.

This year will be the first time the stand-up paddle boarding athletes taking part in the SUP World Championships will compete as an affiliate discipline of Canoeing SA.

Having missed out on a World Championship for marathon paddling in 2020, this year’s return will be an important one for the SA paddlers keen to build on the results of the last marathon showcase event in 2019 in China.