The international depth of canoe sprint was on full display at Poznan on Thursday, with paddlers from every continent lining up at the start of the ICF canoe sprint world cup.

Egypt, Hong Kong, Turkey and Chile were among the nations who braved the challenging conditions in Poland.

Covid lockdowns have robbed many countries of the opportunity to compete for at least years, with some countries still grappling with restrictions on outdoor activity.

The Hong Kong men’s K4 team have only just recently emerged from a three-month lockdown which through their preparations for this year’s ICF world championships into disarray.

But Long Yin Chang said his team had managed to train briefly in Europe before coming to Poland.

“We had prepared from last summer, and then we had to suddenly stop training,” Chang said.

“We were not then in a good stage, so we went to other countries to train for about one and a half months. Its hard because the competitors are world class.

“We haven’t confirmed yet what we will do for the rest of the year, if we will train in Hong Kong or go outside, but we might go to Canada.”

Turkey’s Hilal Avci has dreams of going to the Paris Olympics in 2024 in the women’s K1 500. The former basketballer trains in Antalya, but said a lack of top level paddlers makes it difficult for her to progress.

“I started to the sport late, when I was 16-years-old,” Avci said.

“I am alone in Turkey and this is very bad for me, I don’t have a training partner. We have young girls, but they are not pushing me, so I am alone.”

20-year-old Ahmed Mohamed used to be a swimmer and footballer in Cairo, but has now turned his attention to canoe sprint in the hope of getting to Paris.

He had his first K1 1000 race on Thursday, and although the choppy water was quite similar to his training conditions on the Nile, he found the going tougher in Poznan.

“There’s no current here, so its harder here than on the Nile River,” Mohamed said.

“It’s so nice to be here at my first world cup. My next race will be even better. For seven years I trained in football, but I really love the water so I love the kayak.”

Mohamed is planning to compete at this year’s ICF Junior and U23 world championships in Szeged.

Pics by Bence Vekassy