BEACHBURG — Sunday marks the start of the International Canoe Federation World Freestyle Kayaking Championship, and it’s being held on the Ottawa River near Beachburg.
It begins Sunday with the opening ceremonies, with opportunity to see the athletes in a parade in downtown Beachburg followed by an official ceremony and then opportunity to meet and greet the competitors.
On Monday, the competition begins.
The Squirt Boat event is at McCoys Chute.
Then, the rest of the week’s events are at the Garberator on the Lorne Rapid.
This is the third time Wilderness tours will host this world-class event. The 40-year-old commercial rafting company previously played host to the worlds in 1997 and 2007.
The event opens with the men’s and women’s squirt boat competitions on Monday. The men’s and women’s kayak, junior men’s and women’s kayak, and canoe and open canoe preliminaries are Sept. 1-3. The semifinals go Sept. 4 and the finals run Sept. 5. The world championships have attracted a field of 211 freestyle paddlers from 29 countries.
Thirteen of the 22 national squad members are from Beachburg, La Passe, Cobden, Renfrew, Petawawa and Foresters Falls.
The Parade of Athletes begins at Simple Things in Beachburg at 1 p.m. and ends at the Beachburg Arena Fairgrounds.
To watch the Tuesday through Saturday events, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., park behind the Whitewater Brewery on Fletcher Road. There will be people there to help you find the parking. The fee is $10 per car and you must sign a waiver.
There are bleachers for sitting on — bring a cushion.
Team Canada Women
Shaunna Kent, Petawawa, On.
Rae Boratto, Beachburg, On.
Katie Kowalski, Beachburg, On.
Emily Zwanenberg, Cornwall, On.
Claire Parrott, Waterloo, On.
Alex Maggs, Ottawa, On.
Team Canada Men
Vincent Dupont, Montreal, Qeubec
Zachary Zwanenberg, Cornwall, On.
Quinton, Kennedy, Beachburg, On.
Patrick Camblin, Arnprior, On.
Nicholas Troutman, Beachburg, On.
Matt Hamilton, Foresters Falls, On.
Matt Cuccaro, Renfrew, On.
Marc Richard, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Lars Romeskie, Beachburg, On.
Kalob Grady, La Passe, On.
Kalem Kennedy, Beachburg, On.
Joel Kowalski, Beachburg, On.
Devyn Scott, Pakenham, On.
Chris McDermott, Beachburg, On.
Andy Hill, Cobden, On.
Andrew Oxley, Montreal, Quebec
