British canoe freestyle star Claire O’Hara has been awarded an MBE for her services in canoeing in the New Years Honours list. Ray Goodwin, first paddler to cross the Irish Sea unsupported, is also among those on the list.

Polish Olympic Committee awarded the best young athletes of the year 2018 during the annual New Year’s Olympic Family Meeting held on 12^th January 2019 in Warsaw. This year the meeting was even more special because of the celebrations of the 100^th anniversary of the POC. The Eugeniusz Pietrasik Olympic Hope Prize was won by canoe sprinter Bartosz Grabowski and tennis player Iga Swiatek.

The ECA Junior Canoe Slalom Cup race series has been around now for several seasons and it attracts many young participants from European countries as well as some paddlers from other continents. This year the race series will kick off early in June in Krakow.