This weekend an estimated 650 athletes from 64 nations around the world will come together at Brandenburg an der Havel on Lake Beetzsee, to compete at the 2011 ICF Junior Canoe Sprint World Championships. The event will take place on the internationally renowned Beetzsee Regatta Course from 29 – 31 July 2011 and it will be hosted by the Organising Committee of Brandenburg, in close collaboration with the German Canoe Federation.

Countries such as Argentina, Latvia, Moldova, Puerto Rico, South Africa and Singapore will be sending delegations to Brandenburg, with the biggest contingents coming from Hungary and Italy. Notably there will be paddlers from the ICF Development program that will also be competing at their first Championships. The Organising Committee is anticipating the largest number of participants ever at a Junior World Championships in Canoeing.

Some of the paddlers competing in Brandenburg this weekend, including Tim Liebscher from Germany, competed at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year, and some may even harbour the ambition to qualify for the London 2012 Games. There are many similarities between the Juniors and Seniors World Championships, but there are some exceptions. The Junior Worlds are currently held every two years, but from 2013 they will be held every year. Furthermore, it is a rule that Junior Championships are never held in the same venue as the Seniors Championships, and National Federations are also only allowed to enter one canoe or kayak per event. While the use of substitutes is permitted, it must be according to ICF Rules. Junior Men and Women will compete in 200m, 500m and 1000m and there is no limitation on the olympic classes ; there will be a total of 23 races.

The venue which is one one of the highlights of these Championships is the regatta course at Lake Beetzsee; it is a traditional regatta course that held its first international sporting event in 1969. It was at this venue that the first water- sports Junior World was held. At the time of the last construction in 2009/10, the course gained approximately 27 meters in width and is now 108 meters; an island of 20x70 meters had to be removed for this to happen! During that time the restoration of the judges’ tower, which is now perceived as a new landmark of the regatta course was constructed. In addition, a wheelchair accessible area was built in the paddock area and a bridge now links the water entry and exit areas from the boats, making it easier now for the physically disabled athletes. The care given to this course is directly linked with the 120-year-old tradition of water sports in Brandenburg, which includes famous rowers and canoeists; this has provided the possibility for the venue to host large scale events such as the 2009 European Championships and now the Junior Championships.

One interesting addition to this year’s Junior World Championships programme is that it is first time that the International Canoe Federation will be carrying out it’s Pure Paddling Educational Programme at a Junior World Championships. A special eduction programme called Pure Paddling will be made available on-site for Junior athletes that have been unable to complete the online programme (available in 7 languages), so far almost 80% of the athletes have completed this programme online. Another test initiated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), called Play True will also be conducted and athletes can voluntarily take the test and win a prize from the ICF if they get at least 8 of the 10 questions correct. Completing the Pure Paddling Education Programme is part of the ICF’s Anti-Doping Policy, and all Junior paddlers that have not completed this programme will be ineligible to compete at ICF Junior Championships.

Event Website: http://www.canoe-brandenburg.de