Contributed by Samantha See

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has announced that Singapore has been elected to host the 19th ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships, scheduled to take place from 22 to 23 October 2011. Jointly organised by the ICF and the Singapore Canoe Federation (SCF), the World Championships in 2011 will be the first to be hosted by an Asian country.

President of ICF, José Perurena López said, "We are extremely delighted to announce that Singapore has been elected as the host city for the 2011 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships. With its strong position in Southeast Asia as a centre for sports, we believe that the event in Singapore will raise the profile of Canoe Marathon within the region and around the world. The ICF looks forward to working closely with the Singapore Canoe Federation to build a wonderful event for the world's best Canoe Marathon athletes".

The event in Singapore will see paddlers competing in six different race categories of distances from 17 km to 30 km. With races lasting approximately two to three hours, paddlers will have to negotiate with the water currents in a flat-water course of 4.3 km lap, starting from Marina Reservoir towards the Benjamin Sheares Bridge. The planned route will take the canoeists through the heart of Singapore's city and past famous landmarks like the Merlion, the Singapore Flyer, the Marina Barrage and the Esplanade.

In accordance with the traditional format of a canoe marathon, participants in the C and K classes will also have to make some dashes to complete the necessary number of portage segments, where they will carry their boats across a stretch of about 100 metres at The Float @ Marina each time at the portage, before making a final push towards the finish line. Spectators can either catch the action at many of the vantage points on land or for the lucky few, out at sea on boats used specially for the event.

With the sport gaining popularity in the country, Chua Kee-Huat, President of SCF, feels that the 2011 World Championships will be a boost to the country's ambitions of becoming the regional centre for canoe marathon and water sports in Asia.

"The Singapore Canoe Federation is extremely thrilled that Singapore has been selected to host the 2011 World Championships. This wonderful news comes after our recently concluded Singapore Canoe Marathon 2010 last month, which saw the event's biggest turnout of almost 600 paddlers. Hosting the World Championships will be a landmark occasion for the country and a giant step forward for the development of the sport here and in the region. With the support of ICF and the public, we will work hard to deliver a quality event that will benefit all athletes, spectators and everyone involved," he said.

More details on the 19th ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships including sponsors, participants, format and fringe activities will be announced in the lead up to the event.

About the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships
The ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships was first held in 1988 and is recognised worldwide as the sport's main event as it is not an Olympic discipline. A total of 31 countries took part in last year's World Championships in Crestuma, Portugal, from 18th to 20th September 2009.

About the International Canoe Federation
The umbrella organisation of all national canoe organisations worldwide, the International Canoe Federation (ICF) is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sports worldwide.

About Singapore Canoe Federation
The Singapore Canoe Federation is the National Sports Association responsible for the management, coordination, development and promotion of canoeing in Singapore. It represents the interest of its athletes and members to Singapore Sports Council, Singapore National Olympic Committee, the public and other international canoeing bodies.