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The event brings together the experience of the Hellenic Canoe, Kayak, SUP & Surf Federation, the local Agios Nikolaos on SUP Organising Committee and Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, and Paddle Europe, with the ICF World Cup adding a further international dimension to the program.

European SUP returns two years after Szeged

Agios Nikolaos will host only the second edition of the European Stand Up Paddling Championships. The first European titles were awarded in Szeged, Hungary, in 2024, where SUP was included as part of the combined Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe Championships.

That first edition represented an important starting point for SUP within the European Championships program, but on a considerably smaller scale. Sprint and Technical European titles were contested only in the Open Men and Open Women categories, while Junior and Masters athletes were included in the Long Distance program.

Two years later, Agios Nikolaos represents a significant expansion. The 2026 championships will feature Junior, Open, Masters 40+ and Masters 50+ categories across Sprint, Technical and Long Distance, while National Team Events will also be contested in Technical and Long Distance for Junior and Open athletes.

It represents an important next step in the development of Stand Up Paddling within Paddle Europe and gives a much broader group of athletes the opportunity to compete for European titles.

World and European medallists heading to Crete

The quality of the field already confirmed for Agios Nikolaos underlines that development. Among the 119 athletes currently registered are six medallists from the 2025 ICF SUP World Championships in Abu Dhabi, who collected a combined eight World Championship medals last year — including two golds, four silvers and two bronzes.

Greece's Penny Tsaoutou will arrive on home waters as a reigning World Champion after winning the Masters 50+ Women's Long Distance title in Abu Dhabi. She also claimed silver in the Sprint, giving her two World Championship medals from the 2025 edition.

Italy's Sveva Sabato produced an equally impressive performance in the Junior Women's events. She became Technical World Champion and added silver in the Long Distance.

Both already have European Championship history. Tsaoutou won silver in the Masters Women's Long Distance at the inaugural European Championships in Szeged, while Sabato took Junior Women's Long Distance bronze in 2024. Their progress from European medallists to World Championship gold medallists provides a perfect illustration of the growing level of competition heading to Agios Nikolaos.

Several other 2025 World Championship medallists are already confirmed. Romania's Matei Barbu, silver medallist in the Junior Men's Sprint in Abu Dhabi, is on the entry list and will compete in the Open category in Agios Nikolaos.

Greece will also have Erasmia Malekaki, who took silver in the Junior Women's Technical race at the 2025 World Championships. Germany's Benyam Bossack, bronze medallist in the Junior Men's Technical, and Olga Merkulova, who took bronze in the Masters 40+ Women's Sprint, further strengthen a field already carrying considerable international pedigree.

Champions from the first European Championships return

The connection with Szeged 2024 extends much further. Several of the athletes who shaped the inaugural European Championships are returning two years later.

Natalia Novitskaia was one of the outstanding performers in Szeged, winning both the Open Women's Sprint and Long Distance European titles and adding silver in Technical.

Greece's Kyriaki Logotheti also collected three medals, winning the Technical European title, taking silver in Sprint and bronze in Long Distance. Spain's Manuel Hoyuela Rojas completed his own three-medal championships by becoming the first Open Men's Long Distance European Champion, alongside bronze medals in Sprint and Technical.

All three are currently registered for Agios Nikolaos. The entry list also includes 2024 Technical silver medallist Phaedon Doukas of Greece, Masters Long Distance champion Vira Lemekha of Italy, Masters silver medallist Martin Teichmann of Germany, Junior silver medallists Marlon Cem Daskiran and Skadi Langbein of Germany, as well as Tsaoutou and Sabato.

In total, the current field already includes ten medallists from the inaugural 2024 European Championships, carrying 16 medals from Szeged between them.

119 athletes and 23 represented teams already confirmed

With entries still open, the numbers are continuing to build. As of 18 August, the nominal list contains 119 athletes representing 22 countries plus Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), giving the event 23 represented teams at this stage.

The host nation currently has the largest contingent with 43 Greek athletes, followed by Italy with 11, Portugal with nine and Germany with seven each.

While the European Championships naturally form the core of the event, the combined program with the ICF SUP World Cup has also attracted athletes from outside Europe, including Australia, South Africa and the United States.

Across the complete European Championships, World Cup and additional event program, 449 individual race entries have already been submitted. And there is still time for those figures to grow, with the final entry deadline set for 8 September.

Three European Championship days, three different challenges

Competition will begin with three consecutive days deciding the 2026 European champions.

18 September – Sprint

The championships open with Sprint racing, planned over 100 metres at KIMZU – EOT Beach.

19 September – Technical

Attention then turns to the 1000-metre Technical races, together with the Technical National Team Event. The European Championship course is planned for Agios Panteleimon Beach or Almyros Beach, depending on conditions.

20 September – Long Distance

The European Championships conclude with Long Distance racing along the spectacular coastline around Agios Nikolaos. The day will also include the Long Distance National Team Event and will count simultaneously towards the ICF World Cup program.

After a rest day on 21 September, the ICF World Cup continues with Sprint on 22 September and Technical racing on 23 September.

Agios Nikolaos provides the stage

The competition will take place against one of the most distinctive coastal settings on the Paddle Europe calendar. Located on the eastern side of Crete, Agios Nikolaos combines open sea, beaches and an urban waterfront, offering different environments for each of the three racing formats.

The municipality has 27 Blue Flag beaches in 2026 — the highest number in Crete — while locations such as Almyros, Agios Panteleimon and the waters surrounding the city will provide the backdrop for the championships.

For the organisers, the event is not simply about bringing another international competition to Greece. It is an opportunity to combine high-level sport with a destination already strongly connected to the sea and to SUP.

One month to go

From a first, relatively compact European Championship program in Szeged two years ago to a significantly expanded event in Crete, the evolution of European Stand Up Paddling will be clearly visible in Agios Nikolaos.

The presence of reigning World Champions, World Championship medallists and many of the athletes who won the first European medals in 2024 gives the second edition a direct connection both to the sport's recent history and to its future.

With entries still coming in, three different racing formats and five days of international competition ahead, the countdown is now well and truly underway. One month to go until Europe's SUP community meets again — this time on the waters of Agios Nikolaos.