New Zealand's sprint and paracanoe paddlers head to Brandenburg this week with Olympic and Paralympic qualification squarely in their sights. The 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Cup runs from Thursday 14 May through Sunday 17 May at the Beetzsee Regatta Course, with more than 850 athletes from 60 nations taking part across the four-day programme.
The timing carries real weight. Every ranking point counts in the push towards Los Angeles 2028, and Brandenburg is one of the more significant opportunities on the calendar to lock in both Olympic and Paralympic qualification placings. The event also marks a notable milestone for New Zealand's paracanoe programme, with Finn Murphy and Peter Cowan set to make their first international starts of 2026 on a course well suited to their paddling styles.
New Zealand travels to Germany with genuine depth across its sprint entries. Aimee Fisher lines up in both the women's K1 500m and the K4, partnering Olivia Brett, Greer Morley, and Lucy Matehaere in what shapes as one of the stronger Kiwi combinations on the water. Kurtis Imrie leads the men's campaign, competing in both the K1 500m and the K4, while Quaid Thompson tackles the longer haul in the K1 1000m and K1 5000m. Two K2 500m pairings give selectors useful data at that level, James Munro and Thompson forming one combination, and Hamish Legarth and Grant Clancy the other.
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Kiwi viewers have two ways to follow the racing. Sky Sport will broadcast the weekend programme live, while full coverage is also available through the Planet Canoe YouTube channel on a monthly subscription of $16.99NZD. Racing gets underway Thursday evening from 7.00pm NZT, with New Zealand's K4 crews hitting the water in their heats from 8.36pm onwards.
Live results and the full event schedule are available via the official event website at wc2026-canoesprint.de, and Canoe Racing NZ will be posting updates and commentary across Instagram and Facebook throughout the week.
