World sprint canoe and paracanoe championships return to Milan
World Sprint Canoe and Paracanoe Championships return to Milan
Ten years after the last major event hosted in 2015 and 90 years after the first international competition held at the’Idroscalo, the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation, the Lombardy Region and the city of Milan will return to the center stage of international canoeing by hosting the’ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Championships.
On Thursday, September 12 at the Idroscalo in Milan, a press conference was held to present the event, which was attended by the President of the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation Luciano Buonfiglio, the Mayor of the City of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of the City of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of the City of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of the City of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of the City of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of Milan and the Mayor of Milan;Councillor for Sport of the Municipality of Milan Martina Riva, Councillor delegate to the Idroscalo of the Metropolitan City Roberto Maviglia, and the blue crew silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Carlo Tacchini and Gabriele Casadei (C2 500 meters).
The event è scheduled from August 20 to 24, 2025 on the historic Idroscalo basin in Milan and will registerà̀ the presence of 80 nations and about 2,000 participating athletes with an estimated induced attendance of about 7,000 daily. Several strengths for the success of the event starting from the technical characteristics of the basin that guarantee equal race conditions for all competitors and the total absence of waves, an excellent logistical location for transportation and accommodation but above all the unique possibility of hosting the rainbow event in a city stage like Milan. A completely inclusive event that will seeà̀ compete jointly and in the same event able-bodied and Paralympic athletes.
The rainbow event in Milan will also be the first international canoe event to be sustainable: the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation, in fact, è been the leader in the European Erasmus+ DECK project that has developed, together with Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, the’International Canoe Federation and five other national sports federations, an environmental sustainability protocol for canoe races and events, which will be applied for the first time just at the’Idroscalo.
“When we launched our candidacy we knew we had the’experience and expertise to be able to bring back to Italy one of the most important events in the world of canoeing with which we will bring prestige to Italian sport and to our country. L’idroscalo è unicum in the international panorama because we offer the possibilityé of holding a World Championship in the city center. I have to thank the Minister of Sports and CONI for their support, as well as the Lombardy Region, the City of Milan and the Metropolitan City. I am sure it will be an event that will give great emotions to all the athletes and leave an important sporting legacy. We will arrive with a large and competitive team in all races” these are the statements of FICK President Luciano Buonfoglio.
"It's an honor, for Milan and all of us, to have on the calendar next summer the world canoe and paracanoe championships. Precisely thanks to the important competitions hosted in recent years and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games that we will host in 2026, Milan is establishing itself as an international sports capital. The championships that will be held at the Idroscalo in August 2025 are a major milestone on the path that will lead us to Milan Cortina 2026. We are confident that Milan, with the Idroscalo, will prove once again that it has all the characteristics to meet the expectations of the athletes and offer fans exciting and high-level competitions" these, instead, the words of the mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala.
