German Canoe Slalom Championships

From 29 September to 1 October 2023, the German Canoe Slalom Championships will take place at Kanupark Markkleeberg. At the national competition highlight of the year, the slalom canoeists will compete in the youth (15/16 years) and junior (17/18 years) age groups as well as in the performance class (19 years and older). A total of about 250 athletes are expected. With a bit of luck, the local heroes will be joined by newly crowned world champions, as the World Canoe Slalom Championships will take place in London a week before.

"While the title fights in Markkleeberg mean the end of the season for the young athletes of the youth and juniors, they are the highlight of the training preparation for the national team of the German Canoe Federation before the World Cup final," says Frithjof Bergner from the organising Leipziger-Kanu-Club e.V. (LKC). "This will take place a week later on the Olympic course in Paris and, depending on how it goes, can mean the first step towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

The German Championships will start on Friday, 29 September, 9 am with the heats in the individual competitions, which will finish at around 5.30 pm. On Saturday, 30 September, the team competitions will take place from 9 to 11 am. After the award ceremony and a break, the semi-finals in the kayak disciplines will be held from 2 to 4.30 pm. The semi-finals in the canoe disciplines will then follow on Sunday, 1 October, from 9 to 10.45 am. The final heats in all individual disciplines will start at 11 am and finish at 3 pm. Award ceremonies are scheduled from 3.15pm to 4.15pm.

Admission to the event is free on all days. A supporting programme is planned for the weekend, including a bouncy castle and children's paddling on Lake Markkleeberg.

The German Championships in Canoe Slalom 2023 are now the eighth national title bouts in the Olympic sport of canoe slalom in Markkleeberg after 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.

With Kanupark Markkleeberg, a white-water facility is available for the championships that meets the highest standards and has already been awarded several times as a venue for top international events, such as the Canoe Slalom World Cup or the European Canoe Slalom Championships.