Canoe · Surfski · Ocean · Sprint · SUP · 20 Jul – 3 Aug 2026
Paddlesport gets
a new name.
Paddle Worldwide.
The International Canoe Federation relaunched under a new identity in Oklahoma City, the same week two South Africans raced the Canoe Slalom World Championships there. Back home, the PE2EL Challenge book tours the coast and KwaZulu-Natal’s winter river season opens on the Tugela.
Top Story
Governance · International / Oklahoma City, USA
The ICF Relaunches as Paddle Worldwide
Watch: the Paddle Worldwide reveal (opens in a new tab).
The International Canoe Federation has renamed itself Paddle Worldwide, revealing the new identity on 29 July at the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Oklahoma City.
The name change closes out the federation’s two-year “Fit for Future” review and follows more than a century of governing the sport since 1924. Paddle Worldwide is built as an open identity that continental associations, national federations, clubs and event organisers can adopt alongside their own branding. The new look leads with orange and black, a shift from the ICF’s long-standing blue.
The federation says the rename covers every level of the sport, from a first stroke on flat water to Olympic finals, and spans all ten disciplines it governs, including marathon, sprint, slalom, ocean racing and SUP.
Team SA
Canoe Slalom · World Champs / Oklahoma City, USA
Two South Africans Race the Slalom Worlds
The 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships ran 20–25 July at Riversport OKC, drawing 256 athletes from 50 countries to the venue built for the 2028 Olympic slalom events.
Matthew Van Heerden and Waris Mills carried the South African flag into the kayak cross event. Van Heerden finished 68th; Mills was a hard-fought 57th. Morocco’s entry pushed South Africa to second among African nations, behind Senegal, Djibouti and Kenya.
Tap either photo to open it full-size.
International
Sea Kayaking · Expedition / Ireland
Mick O’Meara Claims a Faster Lap of Ireland
Waterford paddler Mick O’Meara circumnavigated Ireland by sea kayak in 20 days in July 2026, a new record.
O’Meara set the previous benchmark himself in 2015, completing the roughly 1,500 km solo, unsupported lap in 23 days. His 2026 run cuts three days off that mark. Separately, US paddlers Juliana Brotzman and Nate Gueltzau were also targeting the Ireland circumnavigation record this year, aiming for 15 to 22 days.
Latest Results
Surfski · SIP Series / KwaZulu-Natal
The Siyaphambili (SIP) winter surfski series wrapped its third and final long-course race on 25 July, raced under KZN Canoe Union sanction.
| 1 | Luke Steenkamp / Siphesihle MngomaDUC / SIP · KNCU | 1:00:04 |
| 2 | Luke NisbetPIR · KNCU | 1:01:44 |
| 3 | Kwanele BandaSIP · KNCU | 1:02:07 |
| 4 | Brad PearsePIR · KNCU | 1:02:07 |
| 5 | Keelyn TuckerSIP · KNCU | 1:02:47 |
| 6 | Skye Prato / Don GobeyDUC · KNCU | 1:04:11 |
| 7 | Duncan Cartwright / Charl MassynDUC · KNCU | 1:04:19 |
| 8 | Gareth Miles / Karin BothaDUC · KNCU | 1:05:42 |
| 9 | Murray SmithPIR · KNCU | 1:05:43 |
| 10 | Stephen Law / Daniel KirkmanDUC · KNCU | 1:05:44 |
Results transcribed from the official SIP series results sheet circulated to clubs; not yet cross-checked against a public KNCU results page.
Feature
Ocean · PE2EL Challenge / Eastern Cape
PE2EL Challenge Book Tours the Coast
A 200-page coffee-table book on the PE2EL surfski challenge is touring club venues along the route it documents, two years after the project began.
Co-authors Gavin Harvey and Dave Collins launched the book at Blue Water Canoe Club on North End Lake in Gqeberha on 21 July, before Border Canoe Club hosted an East London leg on 24 July, drawing more than 60 members, past competitors and supporters. A Durban launch follows on 12 August at Pirates Surf Lifesaving Club, ahead of an official Cape Town launch on 20 August. Proceeds from the R950 book go back into the PE2EL Challenge, a 244 km, four-day race from Port Elizabeth to East London.
Tap either photo to open it full-size.
River Season
River · K2 Racing / Gauteng · Western Cape
Centurion’s 9 Miler Opens the Spring Push
Centurion Canoe Club ran its 9 Miler K2 race (K1s and K3s welcome) on Rietvlei Dam on Saturday 25 July, with PFDs compulsory and spot prizes for finishers.
Maties Canoeing’s Nekkies–Eilanda
The 27 km K2 B-grade race (K1s welcome) that was set for Nekkies Resort on Saturday 1 August has been cancelled. The club cited low water on the Breede, measured at 3.5 cumecs on the day.
The cancellation fits a dry pattern across the province. Cape Town International Airport recorded 14.4 mm of rain in July, its driest July in 68 years, and the South African Weather Service reported several parts of the southwestern Western Cape logging their lowest July rainfall on record. SAWS attributes the dry spell to a persistent Atlantic high-pressure system blocking cold fronts, and forecasters are watching a strengthening El Niño for its effect on the region’s rivers and dams through the rest of the season.
Club News
River · Schools / KwaZulu-Natal
KZN’s Winter River Programme Opens
The KwaZulu-Natal Canoe Union’s August river programme centres on Winterton. Michaelhouse hosts the Tugela 20’s KZN Schools K1 River Champs over 8 and 9 August on the Tugela River below the Spionkop Dam wall, with senior, junior and Guppy entry categories. The KZN Guppy League runs its Race 6 over the same weekend and course. Umzinyathi Canoe Club follows with its Chris van den Berg Memorial, the union’s season opener on the Upper Umgeni, on 16 August.
Accommodation and catering for the Tugela weekend runs through eMseni Camp (Marlene, 083 255 7399); race queries go to Stuart Robertson at Michaelhouse (083 253 0195).
Gear & Entries
Surfski · Entries / Eastern Cape
Blue Water Canoe Club’s Breakfast Series returns to the Gamtoos Ferry Hotel for four Sunday mornings, 9, 16, 23 and 30 August, starting at 08:30 with long and short courses, breakfast rolls included and a series entry discount. The series is supported by Rack & Paddle, Vaikobi, Wolff & Johnstone and Würth.
Pete Marlin Surfski Race organisers have set 21 September as the deadline for a free custom 2026 race shirt with entry. The East London race doubles as the SA Ocean Paddling Championships for S1 and S2, singles on 31 October and doubles on 1 November, with more than R140,000 in total prize money across the age groups. Sponsors include PW Harvey & Co, Fenn, Euro Steel and Seymour Properties.
Tap either poster to open it full-size.
There is zero tolerance for litter, plastics or waste.Bulla Wood
PE2EL Challenge organiser, Daily Dispatch, 29 July 2026
Calendar of Events
Diary / 2026
Tugela 20’s & Guppy League Race 6
KZN Schools K1 River Champs (Michaelhouse) and KZN Guppy League Race 6, both on the Tugela below Spionkop Dam. Accommodation: eMseni Camp 083 255 7399. Race queries: Stuart Robertson 083 253 0195.
Chris van den Berg Memorial
Umzinyathi Canoe Club’s KZN river season opener.
Tap any poster to open it full-size.
Full calendar
| Dates 2026 | Event | Discipline | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancelled | Nekkies–Eilanda | River | Worcester, WC |
| 8–9 Aug | Tugela 20’s / KZN Guppy League Race 6 | River / Schools | Winterton, KZN |
| 9, 16, 23, 30 Aug | BWCC Breakfast Series | Surfski | Gamtoos Ferry Hotel, EC |
| 12 Aug | PE2EL Challenge Book: Durban Launch | Feature | Pirates SLC, KZN |
| 16 Aug | Chris van den Berg Memorial | River | Upper Umgeni, KZN |
| 20 Aug | PE2EL Challenge Book: Cape Town Launch | Feature | Cape Town, WC |
| 5–6 Sep | Breede River Marathon: SA K2 River Champs | River | Western Cape |
| 12–13 Sep | Liebenbergsvlei Clean Water Challenge: SA K3 River Champs | River | Reitz, FS |
| 19–20 Sep | Dolphin Coast Surfski Challenge | Surfski | Umdloti–Salt Rock, KZN |
| 2–3 Oct | Fish River Canoe Marathon: SA K1 River Champs | River | Eastern Cape |
| 31 Oct–1 Nov | Pete Marlin Surfski (SA Ocean Paddling Champs) | Surfski | East London, EC |
Provincial series and club time trials run weekly through the season. Check your union channels for local dates.
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