The ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are an international event in canoe racing, one of two top-tier Summer Olympic sport events organized by the International Canoe Federation (the other being the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships). They are usually held every non-Olympic year and have officially included paracanoe events since 2010; paracanoe-specific editions of this event (named ICF Paracanoe World Championships) are usually held in Summer Paralympic years.
Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing.
Explanation of events Canoe sprint competitions are broken up into canoe (C), an open canoe with a single-blade paddle, or in kayaks (K), a closed canoe with a double-bladed paddle. Each canoe or kayak can hold one person (1), two people (2), or four people (4). For each of the specific canoes or kayaks, such as a K-1 (kayak single), the competition distances can be , , , or long. When a competition is listed as a C-2 500 m event as an example, it means two people are in a canoe competing at a distance.
Paracanoe competitions are contested in either a va'a (V), an outrigger canoe (which includes a second pontoon) with a single-blade paddle, or in a kayak (as above). All international competitions are held over 200 metres in single-man boats, with three event classes in both types of vessel for men and women depending on the level of an athlete's impairment. The lower the classification number, the more severe the impairment is – for example, VL1 is a va'a competition for those with particularly severe impairments.
Editions ICF Paracanoe World Championships (paracanoe events only) Events exclude exhibition events.
EditionYearHost CityHost CountryEvents11938 Vaxholm 1221948 London 531950 Copenhagen 1541954 Mâcon 1551958 Prague 1561963 Jajce 1671966 East Berlin 1681970 Copenhagen 1691971 Belgrade 18101973 Tampere 18111974 Mexico City 18121975 Belgrade 18131977 Sofia 18141978 Belgrade 18151979 Duisburg 18161981 Nottingham 18171982 Belgrade 18181983 Tampere 18191985 Mechelen 18201986 Montréal 18211987 Duisburg 18221989 Plovdiv 22231990 Poznań 22241991 Paris 22251993 Copenhagen 22261994 Mexico City 24271995 Duisburg 24281997 Dartmouth 26291998 Szeged 26301999 Milan 26312001 Poznań 27322002 Seville 27332003 Gainesville 27342005 Zagreb 27352006 Szeged 27362007 Duisburg 27372009 Dartmouth 27382010 Poznań 28 + 7392011 Szeged 29 + 8–2012 Poznań 11402013 Duisburg 29 + 12412014 Moscow 29 + 12422015 Milan 26 + 12–2016 Duisburg 12432017 Račice 27 + 12442018 Montemor-o-Velho 30 + 12452019 Szeged 30 + 12–2020 Duisburg – 462021 Copenhagen 28 + 12472022 Dartmouth 30 + 12482023 Duisburg 30 + 12-2024 Szeged 12492024 Samarkand 20502025 Milan 24 + 12512026 Poznań 24522027 Szeged
Note The 2020 ICF Paracanoe World Championships were cancelled as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Events Current programEvent3848505458636670717374757778798182838586878990919394959798990102030506070910111314151718192122232425TotalMen's C-1 200 m••••••••••••••••••••••••24Men's C-1 500 m••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••42Men's C-1 1000 m••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••48Men's C-1 5000 m•••••••••••••13Men's C-2 500 m•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••41Men's C-4 500 m•••••••••••••••••••••21Men's K-1 200 m•••••••••••••••••••••••••25Men's K-1 500 m•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••49Men's K-1 1000 m••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••48Men's K-1 5000 m•••••••••••••13Men's K-2 500 m••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••48Men's K-4 500 m•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••31Women's C-1 200 m*••••••••••••12Women's C-1 500 m*•••••••7Women's C-1 5000 m•••••••7Women's C-2 200 m•••••••7Women's C-2 500 m*•••••••••••11Women's C-4 500 m••••4Women's K-1 200 m•••••••••••••••••••••••••25Women's K-1 500 m•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••47Women's K-1 1000 m•••••••••••••••••••••••23Women's K-1 5000 m•••••••••••••••••17Women's K-2 500 m••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••48Women's K-4 500 m••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••44Past eventsEvent3848505458636670717374757778798182838586878990919394959798990102030506070910111314151718192122232425TotalMen's C-1 10000 m•••••••••••••••••••••••23Men's C-1 4 × 200 m relay•••••5Men's C-2 200 m••••••••••••••••••••20Men's C-2 1000 m••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••48Men's C-2 10000 m••••••••••••••••••••••••24Men's C-4 200 m••••••••••••12Men's C-4 1000 m••••••••••••••••••••••22Men's K-1 10000 m••••••••••••••••••••••••24Men's K-1 4 × 200 m relay•••••5Men's K-1 4 × 500 m relay•••••••••••11Men's K-2 200 m••••••••••••••••••••21Men's K-2 1000 m••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••48Men's K-2 10000 m••••••••••••••••••••••••24Men's K-4 200 m••••••••••••12Men's K-4 1000 m•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••45Men's K-4 10000 m•••••••••••••••••••••••23Men's folding K-1 10000 m•1Men's folding K-2 10000 m•1Women's C-1 1000 m•••3Women's K-1 600 m•1Women's K-1 4 × 200 m relay•••••5Women's K-2 200 m••••••••••••••••••••••••24Women's K-2 600 m•1Women's K-2 1000 m••••••••••••••••••18Women's K-2 5000 m••••4Women's K-4 200 m••••••••••••12Women's K-4 1000 m••••••6Mixed C-2 200 m•1Mixed K-2 200 m•1Mixed C-2 500 m•••3Mixed C-4 500 m•1Mixed K-2 500 m•••3Mixed K-4 500 m•1Total125151515161616181818181818181818181818182222222224242626262727272727272728292929262730302830302024 (*) Indicates exhibition events (not counted towards total)
Editions Junior and U23
ICF Canoe Sprint Junior World Championships from 1985 to 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint Junior and U23 World Championships from 2013
Source:
J (U20)U23YearHostEventsJunior1-1985 Castel Gandolfo, Italy2-1987 Belgrade, Yugoslavia3-1989 Dartmouth, Canada4-1991 Vienna, Austria5-1993 Racice, Czech Republic6-1995 Yamanashi, Japan7-1997 Lahti, Finland8-1999 Zagreb, Croatia9-2001 Curitiba, Brazil 10-2003 Komatsu, Japan11-2005 Szeged, Hungary12-2007 Racice, Czech Republic13-2009 Moscow, Russia14-2011 Brandenburg, Germany23 + 0Junior and U231512013 Welland, Canada14 + 141622014 Szeged, Hungary14 + 141732015 Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal16 + 161842016 Minsk, Belarus19 + 181952017 Pitești, Romania19 + 182062018 Plovdiv, Bulgaria19 + 182172019 Pitești, Romania18 + 18--2020 Brandenburg, GermanyCancelled2282021 Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal24 + 242392022 Szeged, Hungary26 + 2624102023 Auronzo, Italy28 + 2825112024 Plovdiv, Bulgaria24 + 2426122025 Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal24 + 24
Lists of medalists List of ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in men's Canadian List of ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in women's Canadian List of ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in men's kayak List of ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in women's kayak List of ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in paracanoe
Medal tables
Canoe sprint (1938–2026) This medal table does not include exhibition events. The historical medal count of the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships as of the 2026 championships is as follows:
Paracanoe (2010–2024) This medal table does not include exhibition events. Events were occasionally excluded from their respective medal tables due to lack of participation, but are included in this overall table. The historical medal count of the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships as of the 2023 championships is as follows:
https://www.canoeicf.com/paracanoe-world-championships/szeged-2024
Note
See also
Canoe Sprint World Cup Canoeing at the Summer Olympics ICF Canoe Marathon World Championship
ICF Masters Canoe Sprint World Championships
Paracanoe at the Summer Paralympics
References
Sources 2008 ICF Congress on change from flatwater racing to canoe sprint. – accessed 30 November 2008. "The Board of Directors Wrap Up in Windsor". – International Canoe Federation (5 December 2009) – accessed 18 December 2009.
External links