July 20-25 Riversport OKC
Welcoming the World to OKC
We need YOU to get LOUD as we welcome the world for the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships at RIVERSPORT OKC!
More than 300 athletes from 50 nations will compete in this six-day event to become world champions in Canoe Slalom (C1), Kayak Slalom (K1) and Kayak Cross. For most, it will be their first opportunity to experience the RIVERSPORT course that will be the venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Let’s show them how we do championships in America’s heartland!
Canoe Slalom
Kayak Slalom
Kayak Cross
Get Your Tickets!
Tickets now on sale!
This is your opportunity to see the world’s top canoe slalom athletes competing for gold. It’s also your preview of the action you can expect when RIVERSPORT is the canoe slalom venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Beyond the competition, experience the World Festival, plus great food and live entertainment daily.
Join us in welcoming the world to America’s heartland. Get your tickets and LET’S GET LOUD!
Canoe & Kayak Slalom
In slalom, athletes race in both canoes (C) and kayaks (K) down the whitewater channels through a series of gates.
Green gates are downstream and are positioned in the whitewater flow. Red gates indicate the paddler must go upstream through the gate and are typically in an eddy. Athletes are penalized 2 seconds if they touch a gate and 50 seconds if they miss one altogether.
The course must have a minimum of 25 gates at least six of which must be upstream.
RIVERSPORT’s course is 1,000 feet long (304.8 meters) and drops 14’ 9” (4.54 meters) from start to finish. Over eight million gallons of water are powered by five pumps creating level III-IV rapids during competition.
Event Schedule
Kayak Cross
Having made its debut as an Olympic sport at the 2024 Paris Games, Kayak Cross is amping up whitewater competition to a whole new level.
Four kayakers launch side-by-side from a ramp 10-12 feet above the channel, first dropping into the churning water, then racing through gates to the finish.
As with slalom, kayakers must paddle through both downstream (green) and upstream (red) gates. The difference? Contact is permitted with other competitors and the gates, and everyone is required to complete a 360 degree roll mid-course. It all takes about 60 seconds, start to finish.
Penalties can include breaking the start, missing a buoy, failing to complete the roll within the zone or dangerous contact with other competitors.
RIVERSPORT is a US Olympic & Paralympic Training Site – one of only a few in the United States – and regularly hosts national and international competition in both rowing and canoe/kayak. RIVERSPORT Rapids, Oklahoma City’s whitewater center, will serve as the Olympic venue for canoe slalom and kayak cross during the LA28 Olympic Games.
For athletes from around the world, competing at the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships will be their first opportunity to experience the 2028 Olympic course. Spectators will also have a ‘first look’ at the Olympic venue and for many, it will be their first opportunity to see international competition at this highest level.
We look forward to welcoming the world to RIVERSPORT OKC!
