The International Canoe Federation has launched a bold new World Ranking system designed to track paddler performances and bring fresh excitement into Canoe Sprint events – creating greater intensity, clearer storylines, and a new level of engagement for athletes and fans alike.
The new system is poised to add extra excitement and intrigue around races as athletes look to climb the standings across the men’s kayak, women’s kayak, men’s canoe and women’s canoe categories.
It is also set to provide an avenue for athletes to secure their place at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 under the revamped qualification process currently being drawn up by the ICF.
Ranking points will be on offer at the two ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups this month, with Szeged holding the first of those from May 16 to 18 before Poznan plays host from May 22 to 25.
Importantly, the system is not just about the sharp end of the sport. For development, it will fuel healthy competition across emerging nations, spotlight rising stars, justify investment in athlete pathways, and drive organisers to continually raise their game—lifting standards and opportunities for everyone, everywhere.
How does the Canoe Sprint World Ranking system work?
Athletes will be able to earn points at any ranking competition, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cups, Continental Championships and World Ranking races.
An athlete can register a maximum of five results on the World Ranking in each calendar year, but those five results must be from five different competitions.
One of these results must also be from a ranking competition that is held on a different continent than the others.
If an athlete has more than five valid results per calendar year, the best five will be counted towards the World Ranking tally.
The World Ranking tables will be updated and published within five days of the conclusion of each ranking competition.
How are the points scored for the Canoe Sprint World Ranking?
Paddlers will receive a percentage of the points based on whether they are competing in single, double or four-person boats in canoe and kayak events.
For C1 or K1 events, 100 per cent of the World Ranking points will be awarded, meaning the winner will earn 1,000 points at the World Cups, followed by 900 points for second and 840 points for third.
A total of 180 per cent of the World Ranking points will be achieved in C2 or K2 events and distributed equally between the two athletes.
For example, the two gold medallists will each achieve 900 points, with the silver medallists both receiving 810 points and bronze medallists each earning 756 points.
For K4 events, 320 per cent of the World Ranking points will be allocated to the crew and distributed equally between the four athletes.
In this case, the winning crew will each receive 800 points, while the silver medallists will each secure 720 points and the bronze medallists will each collect 672 points.
World Ranking point multipliers are also used to weight the competitions, meaning paddlers will achieve greater points at the Olympic Games and World Championships compared with other events.
Points will be multiplied by 1.5 at the Olympic Games and World Championships, 1.0 at World Cups, 0.7 at Continental Championships and 0.5 at World Rankings races.
For example, an athlete will earn 1,500 points with a gold in K1 or C1 at the World Championships, compared with 1,000 points at a World Cup and 700 points at a Continental Championships.
For all the rules and the points tables, click here.
What are the main features of the Canoe Sprint World Ranking?
World Ranking lists will be split into the men’s kayak, women’s kayak, men’s canoe and women’s canoe, making it easy to see who is performing the best in each category.
You will be able to search for any sprint paddler with points on the board and check their profile and World Ranking evaluation.
There is also the option to compare the World Ranking evaluation of up to four sprint athletes that have achieved points to see how their records size up against each other.
Toshi Furuya, Chair of the ICF Canoe Sprint Committee, said: “The introduction of the World Ranking system is major step forward for the Canoe Sprint discipline.
“This new system will make it easier for fans and the media to follow the performance trends of our athletes as they compete for the top prizes in our sport.
“It also gives athletes an incentive to boost their ranking as they prepare for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.
“Taking this data-focused approach will help to elevate our best performers on the global scene and create great competition to further develop Canoe Sprint.”
Click here for the Canoe Sprint World Ranking page.
Images of the new World Ranking system are from test data from 2024
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