Canoe Sprint aims for the long-term presence at the European Games
Canoe Sprint is already an established part of the sports programme of the European Games, being present at the European Games since the beginning in 2015 and the Games in Baku.
The 2023 European Games Kraków – Małopolska will see a little less than 300 athletes from 35 European countries fighting for 16 sets of medals in Canoe Sprint. This will be the third inclusion of Canoe Sprint in the sports programme of the European Games, following the European Games in Baku 2015 and in Minsk four years later.
“Being a part of the EOC family is important as our sport is given better organisational arrangements, wider audience and recognition of the sport itself by the Olympic governing body in Europe. Our long-term presence is crucial especially when we are heading towards the next edition of the European Games 2027 which we hope will be continental Canoe Sprint Olympic qualifier for LA 2028,” said Jovana Stanojević, technical delegate for Canoe Sprint at the European Canoe Association.
The athletes will compete at the 200 and 500 metres distances in 16 medal events. Stanojević explained more about the competition programme: “The competition will be held at Krispinow Lake over a 4-days programme with athletes racing at 200 m and 500 m distances. For the first time, mixed events will be introduced on the European Canoe Sprint competition. However, not all our events (especially Olympic ones) could have been included due to limitations on technical conditions of the venue and the area surrounding the lake. But as mentioned before, if ECA is to achieve its goal and have a continental Olympic qualifier at the European Games 2027, it is very important for us to be present in Krakow!”
The Canoe Sprint competition will be held on the Krispinow Lake, located in the village of Budzyn, outside the Krakow city centre, and the venue will accommodate around 1000 spectators.
“Krispinow Lake is not a Canoeing venue. It is one of the favourite places of residents of Krakow and the surrounding area, who are very eager to come there in the summer to actively spend time by the water. I would like to use the opportunity and once again thank the Krakow Organising Committee who is making sure we have a regatta centre there during the competition. All facilities during the competition will be temporary and a lot of effort and hard work has already been put in to deliver optimal conditions according to the operational technical requirements,” added Stanojević, ECA technical delegate, who visited the venue last month.
With two months to go, the preparations for the biggest sporting event of the year in Europe are in full swing. “Preparations are under way and we are entering the final phase. At the moment, we are closing the final details with the Host TV broadcaster, finalising policies and procedures in case of any unexpected circumstances (i.e bad weather). All important information is, or very soon will be published to all participating NOCs. So we are all eagerly waiting for the Games to begin in June,” concluded Stanojević.
Canoe Sprint competition will kick off on 21st June, the opening day of the European Games, with heats, while in the following three days, the athletes will fight for the medals. Tickets for the competition are available HERE.
