Canoe marathon will be looking to build on an outstanding 2018 season with an exciting program of events lined up for the 2019 season, and confirmation the sport will be part of the 2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.

The ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Portugal in 2018 was an outstanding success, attracting record numbers of viewers despite being held on the same weekend as an important canoe slalom event.

More than 320,000 views for a total of 2.4 million minutes on the Planet Canoe YouTube page underscores the interest in the Prado event. This is more than all the canoe sprint events of 2018, with the exception of the World Championships.

The 2019 season promises to be just as exciting, culminating in the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Shaoxing, China, in October. This will be the second time the marathon world championships will be held in Asia.

The 2018/19 World Series is already underway, with the Liffey Descent in Ireland and the Shaoxing Huancheng River Marathon in China already attracting strong racing.

The famous Drak Challenge in South Africa in mid-January will test the mettle of the world’s best paddlers, before the World Series returns to Europe for a string of exciting races.

The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Ireland will all host races over a six month period ahead of the 2019 World Championships. Norway will host a World Cup event, while the remaining fixtures are ranking races.

The World Series involves races in men’s and women’s K1 and C1, with athletes earning points that will go towards a final world ranking. The points leaders in all categories will be crowned following the World Championships.