After a very busy and exciting start to the year, our 2023 National Championship season wrapped up in April with three fantastic events across Victoria and NSW.
While many of us were enjoying hot cross buns over Easter, athletes were competing for national glory at the PA 2023 Canoe Polo Championships in Ballarat and 2023 Oceania and PA Canoe Marathon and SUP Flatwater Championships in Geelong.
Congratulations to ACT on their overall state title in the Canoe Polo, and to Victoria for their state title in the Canoe Marathon and SUP Championships on Barwon River.
Over in Penrith, national titles were awarded at the 2023 PA Canoe Slalom Championships, which was held after the Slalom Team Induction Week for our National Centre of Excellence and Pathways athletes. It was fantastic to have our whole slalom community together for a few days of whitewater action and camaraderie, especially before our Australian Team heads overseas next month ahead of the World Cup and World Championship season.
Special thanks must go to our volunteers, officials and State Paddle Associations for their support and involvement in bringing our national events calendar to fruition for the 2022/23 season. In the coming weeks, we will unveil our events calendar for the 2023/24 season, and it’s shaping up to be another big year.
Before their first international World Cup next month, it was great to see many of our Sprint athletes excelling at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on Scarborough Beach in Perth. Western Australia has always been a go-to destination for ocean racing and surf ski events, and we’re thrilled to be heading to Perth for the 2023 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships and the 2023 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing Masters World Championships from 27 November – 3 December 2023.Â
In another great development for Ocean Racing, PA and the Australian Ocean Racing Series (AORS) announced an arrangement between the two organisations that will see the results of AORS used to determine the Australian Championships for Ocean Racing, with the winners of the AORS being recognised as the National Champions each year. Â Â
Finally, in April we congratulated the athletes named to the 2023 Australian Canoe Wildwater Teams and the Canoe Freestyle Teams. We look forward to following your international journeys this season.
Good luck to all of our Australian teams departing for Europe in the coming weeks. We look forward to cheering you on as you compete on the world stage.
Until next month, and always, stay safe on our waterways.
Yours in paddling,
Phil Jones
Paddle Australia CEO
