OKC hosts kayak slalom cup
Oklahoma City staged an international canoe and kayak competition this week — a preview of the city’s 2028 Olympic role and a showcase for the new slalom facility and world‑ranking races. The event put OKC on the map as a stateside slalom hub ahead of the Olympics. (kgou.org)
RIVERSPORT OKC hosted an International Canoe Federation world‑ranking slalom event across the weekend of March 28–29, 2026, drawing more than 150 registered competitors from 23 countries. (kgou.org) Four‑time U.S. Olympian Casey Eichfeld raced at the event, and Russian‑born Alsu Minazova was photographed competing in the women’s canoe runs during the March 29 sessions. (kgou.org) The meet doubled as an official ICF world‑ranking race and fell inside one of the ICF’s sanctioned training periods that run in Oklahoma City from March 30 to April 3 ahead of the world championships. (canoeicf.com) Organizers are using the March ranking event to fine‑tune the venue before the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, scheduled July 20–25 at RIVERSPORT OKC, an event expected to feature more than 300 athletes from roughly 50 nations. (riversportokc.org) Tickets for the July world championships went on sale earlier this year as local officials and Riversport promoted the mid‑July competition and associated ICF Congress in Oklahoma City. (kfor.com) Athletes and coaches at the ranking race described the Riversport Rapids course as “pushy” with strong winds, and race rules enforced a two‑second penalty for gate touches and a 50‑second penalty for missed gates during timed runs. (kgou.org)
