Excitement builds: 100 days until canoe slalom world champs at Penrith

The countdown is officially on!

Tomorrow (Saturday 21 June) marks 100 days to go until the world’s best paddlers descend on the Penrith Whitewater Stadium for the 2025 ICF Slalom World Championships, with Paddle Australia releasing premium tickets with fans given even greater opportunity to get up close to all the action.

From tomorrow, tickets to Fox Island* will be on sale, providing fans with an inner sanctum experience where they have a unique vantage point from the in-field, allowing them to get up close and personal with the stars of the sport and enjoy a front row access to medal presentations.

Premium** Grandstand seating tickets will also be released from tomorrow and are expected to sell fast.

From 29 September – 4 October, more than 300 athletes from over 40 nations will take part in the six-day event that will provide Aussie sporting fans the opportunity to see Olympic champions up close. Penrith’s golden girls from the Paris Olympic Games, Jess and Noemie Fox – both New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship holders – will headline Australia’s 10-person strong team, which will be out for domination on their home turf.

Team Australia is currently preparing in Europe, competing as part of the ICF World Cup circuit.

Jess Fox and Lucien Delfour (NSWIS/pictured below) have both delivered back-to-back podium performances in the opening two World Cups, with Fox taking two golds in the Women’s C1 and bronze in the Kayak Cross Time Trial. Delfour HAS won two bronze medals in the Men’s K1.

It’s all building towards the ICF Slalom World Championships in Sydney, with Fox saying she can’t wait to welcome the world down under.

“For me, it’s always a proud moment to welcome our international athletes out here and with the World Championships we want to put on a good show for the community, for the spectators, for the fans and everyone watching on TV,” she said.

“But also, we want it to be a really memorable event for the athletes, and for everyone to go ‘those Penrith World Champs were amazing.”

“When I think about the World Champs I’ve been to that’ve been memorable, a lot of it comes from the fans and from the community who jumps on board.

“When the community really jumps on board and gets behind it, it makes it really special. And when the stands are filled, or the hill in Penrith is full, and the noise is loud – that for the athlete is incredible.

“We feel that at the Olympics, we felt that at the World Championships in Augsburg in 2023, and I hope we can do that in Penrith.

“So that’s what I encourage – everyone come to the World Championships! We want it to be full, and we want the athletes to feel that energy from the crowd.”

The ICF Slalom World Championships will also play a crucial role in the lead-up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, further elevating the profile of the sport in Australia.

*Please note, attendees must purchase a General Admission ticket for entry to the venue, PLUS a Fox Island upgrade. **Please note, attendees must purchase a General Admission ticket for entry to the venue, PLUS a Premium Seating upgrade.

Paddle Australia