Potomac Whitewater Racing Center

PWRC Spring Feeder Race #1 - Saturday, April 18th 2026

Registration Required by Wednesday April 15th 10pm

This PWRC Spring Feeder race #1 for the 2026 season will be held on Saturday, April 18th, on the Feeder Canal. Race participation is open to all levels of PWRC whitewater slalom paddlers (all groups) and to non-PWRC racers. Each race entry is free to PWRC members; cost for nonmembers is $20.

Schedule: Saturday, April 18th

9 am: course closed for practice
9:15 am: racer’s meeting
9:15am: judges meeting
10 am: race start (Run 1)
and Run 2 will start 20 mins after 1st Run completes

The course will be open for practice prior to the race.

Registration

All racers, including PWRC members, must register on this link for the April 18th race ==>

https://pwrc.regfox.com/2026-spring-feeder-race-1

If you are not a current ACA member, please bring $10 in cash to each race to cover the one-time ACA event registration, as is needed for race insurance.

2026 Spring Feeder Race #1 Get tickets online for 2026 Spring Feeder Race #1 here.

PWRC athletes training this week at Montgomery whitewater.

ICF unveils new Olympic qualification system as race to LA28 begins

The International Canoe Federation has unveiled its new Olympic qualification system designed to deliver clearer storylines, higher stakes and increased excitement in the build-up to Los Angeles 2028.

At the heart of the new system is an Olympic Ranking that will turn the biggest Canoe Sprint and Canoe Slalom events into decisive steps on the road to the Games, allowing fans to follow nations and athletes as they battle for quota places.

Developed through extensive consultation with National Federations and key stakeholders following the formation of the ICF’s Olympic Qualification Working Group in 2023, the multi-phase qualification process will see countries secure quota spots through the Olympic Ranking, continental qualifiers, and a global qualifier in Canoe Slalom.

With qualification points on offer at major competitions, the stakes will be raised in 2026 and 2027, driving greater participation, deeper fields and heightened interest throughout the Olympic cycle.

A total of 236 quota places have been allocated for Canoe Sprint, while 82 spots will be awarded in Canoe Slalom. Among those places, the host country will be allocated four in Canoe Sprint and two in Canoe Slalom. Two provisional universality spots have also been allocated in the paddle sport disciplines. Gender equality is once again guaranteed for the Games.

CANOE SLALOM

There will be a three-phase qualification process in Canoe Slalom with the Olympic Ranking once again playing a central role. A total of 38 quota spots – 19 for men and 19 for women – will be on offer through the ranking system, with dedicated lists for each of the six Olympic events.

The ranking period will run from 20 July 2026 to 3 October 2027, with points awarded to individual athletes at each Olympic Ranking competition including the 2026 and 2027 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships as well as seven ICF Canoe Slalom World Cups across the two seasons.

Over the nine competitions, a maximum of five best results (highest points) of each athlete are counted to define the final Olympic Ranking.

Quota places awarded through the Olympic Ranking are allocated per gender in a limit of one per NOC per event as follows:

Kayak single: Six quota places
Kayak cross: Three quota places
Canoe single: 10 quota places

An athlete can only obtain one quota place for their NOC. Once this is achieved, they are no longer eligible to be considered for any further athlete quota places, even if returned.

A further 30 spots, split evenly between men and women, will be up for grabs in the continental qualifiers.

A final 12 places will also be contested in a global qualification competition, where the top two highest placed eligible, not yet qualified athletes will be allocated a quota place for their NOC across the kayak cross, kayak single and canoe single events.

stillmed.olympics.com