The 2026 Junior & U23 World Rafting Championships and the Senior World Cup officially launched this evening with the opening ceremony in the heart of the French Pyrenees. Hosted by the local organising committee, Parc Aquasports, and the Fédération Française de Canoë-Kayak (FFCK), the event welcomes 80 teams representing 18 nations to this prestigious whitewater venue.
The ceremony follows three days of intensive training where athletes meticulously studied the technical demands of the course to ensure smooth lines among the rapids. During the ceremony, Olympic medalist and FFCK Vice President Anne-Lise Bardet, alongside the Mayor of Pau Jérôme Marbot, offered a warm welcome to the international delegations. Rafting President Danilo Barmaz expressed his professional satisfaction in seeing the global rafting community gather at a site so deeply rooted in whitewater history, noting the presence of both legendary teams that have shaped the sport's history and the many young and passionate faces representing the future.
The focus now shifts to the water as the official competition window opens: the championships will commence tomorrow afternoon with the first competitive discipline: the Sprint.
