First ICF City-World Cup will take place in Hamburg
Articles and photos: Tiemo Krueger | Proofreader: Tom Collings - The International Canoe Federation (ICF) and the German Canoe Federation have combined to organise the first City-World Cup to take place from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th September.
The City-World Cup follows the success of last year’s Hansewerk AlsterCup at Lake Alster in the middle of Hamburg, where Germany’s elite canoe sprint paddlers raced.
The City-World Cup will be dedicated to showcasing the Olympic sports of rowing and canoeing, with more than 10,000 spectators set to watch on from the heart of Hamburg.
It will start on Friday with company teams participating in rowing competitions and proceed on Saturday with the final of the German premier rowing league, which will feature some of the world’s best eight teams for 270 metre sprint races.
On Sunday the paddlers will join in, with some of the world’s best canoe polo teams set to showcase their talents in front of the Jungfernstieg, Hamburg’s most popular promenade. A spectator favourite last year.
The City-World Cup will be held on a 200 metre sprint course with knockout races contested across two lanes. The world’s best four athletes in each category will also compete in a 1000 metre pursuit round course. Finally the two fastest 200 metre and 1000 metre paddlers will start against each other on a 500 metre course.
A selection of demonstration events have also been planned, including some paracanoe races.
The event will be sponsored by Hansewerk, one of the major local energy suppliers.
Hamburg is currently preparing a bid for the 2024 Olympic Games and will be hoping to use this event to showcase their potential as a host city.
Livestream Sunday 13 September: www.sportscene.tv/flatwater/canoe-sprint/news/livestream-2015-icf-city-sprint-world-cup