Approximately 1,000 athletes and coaches from around the world along with over 40,000 spectators, are coming to Dartmouth, NS in 2022 to compete in and cheer on athletes during the 2022 ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Championships.
Canoe ’22 will take place from August 3-7, 2022 in Dartmouth with a festival like atmosphere in the streets surrounding Lake Banook.
Considered one of the best natural paddling racecourses in the world, Lake Banook most recently hosted the World Championships in 2009. Dartmouth hosted a spectacular event that received rave reviews from athletes, volunteers, spectators and international delegates
Local canoer and Olympian Connor Fitzpatrick shares in the excitement of the community.
“I hope to have the opportunity to race at home because it’s a once in a lifetime thing. Especially with all the history of paddling in Nova Scotia and the great paddlers that have touched this water,” said Fitzpatrick.
One of the Team Canada athletes who raced in the 2009 Championships is Olympian, Jill D’Alessio. She has assumed the role of Chair for the Canoe ’22 Society.
“We’re so excited to host the World Championships again. Many of the world’s best canoe and kayak paddlers competed this summer in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and at the Copenhagen World Championships. We’re honoured that they will be making their way to Nova Scotia next summer,” says Jill D’Alessio.
“Organizing an event like this takes a lot of planning and volunteers. COVID 19 has altered the way we compete, the way we gather, and the way we celebrate. In less than one year, we will be ready to safely welcome the world and come together to celebrate racing, culture, and community.”
With sporting events worldwide affected due to the onset of COVID-19, Canoe ’22 is expected to be one of the first major international sporting events hosted in Nova Scotia since the pandemic’s start.
In addition to support from the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC), the event will receive funding from all three levels of government including the Government of Canada, the Province of Nova Scotia, and Halifax Regional Municipality. Canoe ’22 is expected to generate over $20 million of economic activity.