This will be the first of eight ECA European Championships in the 2025 season. Traditionally, canoe slalom paddlers will fight for the European Champion titles in mid-May, this year the championships of the Old Continent will continue the Olympic legacy by being held on the French Olympic venue. The championships will kick off on 14th May and conclude on Sunday, 18th May.
The first week in June will bring two European Championships. Portugal, a canoe marathon super power, will host the 2025 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships in Ponte de Lima, the oldest chartered town in Portugal. The picturesque venue already hosted this championships back in 2017.
In the same week, Europe’s best Wildwater Canoeing paddlers will head to Italy, more precisely to Mezzana, located in the heart of Val di Sole Valley. The 2025 ECA Wildwater Canoeing European Championships will be held between 4th and 7th June. Mezzana organised the Wildwater Canoeing World Championships in 1993, and in 2000 the ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships was held here.
From 19th to 22nd June the eyes of the canoeing community will be on the 2025 ECA Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe European Championships. One of the two biggest canoe sprint and paracanoe competitions of the year, in addition to World Championships, will be organised on a well-known venue in Racice, located north of Prague. This is another venue with rich history, having hosted the ECA European Championships in 2006 and 2015, and was also a home of the 2017 World Championships and several World Cup races.
July will be dedicated to junior and U23 age groups. From 3rd to 6th July the future stars of canoe sprint will head to Pitesti, Romania, for the 2025 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint European Championships, while the 2025 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships will be held in Solkan, Slovenia, from 30th July to 3rd August.
The 2025 ECA Canoe Polo European Championships will be held in September, however, the location is still pending the final confirmation, following the withdrawal of the Polish organisers who were initially awarded this championships. The 2025 ECA Canoe Polo Clubs European Championships remains in Poland, it will be held in Kaniow (27 – 28 September).
In addition to the ECA European Championships, each season brings several ECA European Cups in different canoeing disciplines. Some have already been held in the first months of the year, while the majority will take place in the coming days, weeks and months. The 2025 ECA Wildwater Sprint Canoeing European Cups were already organised in Fulda, Veles and Spindleruv Mlyn, and the upcoming venues will be Ceske Budejovice, Dierkirch, Holme Pierreport – Nottingham, Lipno and River Dee – Llangollen.
The 2025 ECA Open Canoe Slalom European Cup series already saw events in Pau, La Seu d’Urgell, Markkleeberg and Krakow, the following races will be held in Ljubljana – Tacen, Ivrea, Bratislava, Prague and Epinal. The ECA Junior Canoe Slalom European Cup series will include races in Solkan, Valstagna, Ivrea, Flattach, Augsburg, Roudnice, Krakow and Bratislava.
The ECA Canoe Freestyle European Cup will be organised on 28th and 29th June in Millau, France, while the two ECA Canoe Polo European Cups will take the teams to Pfyn, Switzerland, and to Avranches, France.
This summer, Canoe Slalom will be a part of the competition programme of the European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje, North Macedonia, and the Canoe Sprint Olympic Hopes will be held this September in Racice, Czechia.
The ECA Board of Directors has decided to continue with the same practice from previous years and
follow the guidelines of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and allow the participation of eligible Neutral Athletes at the ECA European Championships. These athletes will be eligible to compete at the 2025 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships in France, the 2025 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships in Portugal, the 2025 ECA Wildwater Canoeing European Championships in Italy, the 2025 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint European Championships in Romania, and the 2025 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships in Slovenia.
The ECA Board of Directors has also decided to allow refugee athletes to compete at the ECA European Championships. The Board agreed to allow refugee athletes to participate in non-qualification events. The Board reserves the right to define its position regarding qualification competitions for the Olympic and Paralympic Games based on the qualification system proposed by the ICF.
2025 ECA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
14 – 18 May | 2025 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships | Paris/Vaires-sur-Marne, FRA
2 – 8 June | 2025 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships | Ponte de Lima, POR
4 – 7 June | 2025 ECA Wildwater Canoeing European Championships | Mezzana, ITA
19 – 22 June | 2025 ECA Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe European Championships | Racice, CZE
3 – 6 July | 2025 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint European Championships | Pitesti, ROU
30 July – 3 August | 2025 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships | Solkan, SLO
9 – 14 September | 2025 ECA Canoe Polo European Championships | TBC
27 – 28 September | 2025 ECA Canoe Polo Clubs European Championships | Kaniow, POL
Full calendar of the 2025 ECA European Championships and European Cups is available here: https://canoe-europe.org/calendar
23.4.2025
