Five years after the European Canoe Slalom Championships last came to Ivrea, many of the athletes preparing to race this week are returning to familiar water. Of the 180 plus athletes entered for the 2026 championships, 75 also competed at Ivrea 2021 — more than 40 per cent of the current field.
With competition at the 2026 Paddle Europe Canoe Slalom Championships now just hours away, Ivrea is preparing to welcome a field filled not only with Olympic, world and European champions, but also with athletes whose stories are closely connected to the Italian course.
Europe’s canoe slalom elite will gather in Ivrea from 24 to 26 September for the 2026 Paddle Europe Canoe Slalom Championships, with Olympic champions, reigning world champions and defending European title holders among a field of 185 athletes representing 28 delegations.
European paddlers brought the 2026 Canoe Slalom World Cup season to a remarkable conclusion in La Seu d’Urgell, winning 21 of the 24 medals available at the World Cup Final and six of the eight individual events.
The 2026 Canoe Slalom World Cup season reaches its decisive weekend from Thursday as the world’s best paddlers gather in La Seu d’Urgell, Spain, from 10 to 13 September for the fifth and final round of the series.