Thirteen New Zealand paddlers are heading to Brandenburg, Germany, for the 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup, with racing running from Thursday 14 May through to Sunday 17 May at the Beetzsee Regatta Course.
More than 850 athletes from 60 nations are competing, and the event carries real weight for the Kiwi contingent. Olympic qualification ranking points are on offer for the sprint squad, while the competition also marks the first international Paracanoe racing of 2026, giving para athletes the chance to accumulate Paralympic Ranking points on the road to Los Angeles 2028.
New Zealand's paracanoe representatives are Finn Murphy in the Men's KL3 200m and Peter Cowan in the Men's VL3 200m. Murphy races from 10.17pm NZT on Thursday night, with Cowan on the water at 2.15am Friday morning.
The sprint programme is equally busy. Aimee Fisher pulls double duties, lining up in the Women's K1 500m and as part of the Women's K4 500m crew alongside Olivia Brett, Greer Morley, and Lucy Matehaere. Kurtis Imrie competes in the Men's K1 500m and slots into the Men's K4 500m alongside James Munro, Grant Clancy, and Hamish Legarth.
Quaid Thompson has the heaviest individual workload, entered in the Men's K1 1000m, the Men's K1 5000m, and the Men's K2 500m. He pairs with James Munro in one K2, while Hamish Legarth and Grant Clancy combine in the second.
Thursday's racing for New Zealand opens with the Men's K4 500m Heat 3 at 8.36pm NZT, followed by the Women's K4 heat at 9.06pm. Both crews then return for semifinals from 12.50am and 1.08am respectively.
Sky Sport will broadcast the event in New Zealand over the weekend. Live streaming is also available through the Planet Canoe YouTube channel, the International Canoe Federation's official channel, with a monthly membership subscription required at $16.99 NZD.
