Between 17–21 August the world’s top canoe and kayak paddlers raced at the world championships Canoe sprint in Szeged, Hungary, for medals and London 2012 Olympic games qualification. 

Venue was the prestigious Maty-ér Regatta Course, which is 2,400-metre long and 122-metre wide. 2,000 people from 90 countries competed, drawing massive crowds of about 25,000 fans and international media on site. Also many enthusiasts tuned in from around the globe.

The campaign “kayak-canoe, rock & roll”, featuring three Hungarian Olympic champions (Katalin Kovács, Zoltán Kammerer and Attila Vajda) who play air guitar on their paddles, was everywhere; billboards, commercials and teasers at the movie theatre.
» Watch the great teaser video here.

Cutting edge systems provided unique images of the races, including spidercams, which moved across the nine lanes, and 400m long tracks slightly above the water. Fabulous technical and camera work by the crew. Supporters were part of the action and tuned into the fantastic atmosphere via television and online, such as the nice event website, Facebook and Twitter @szeged2011.

» View the races and listen to what the cool athletes from Team Canada have to say in these videos. See the amazing Australian athletes and their “summer slaughter” here.

Interview local hero Attila Vajda – World champion C1 1000m

Interview popular Adam van Koeverden – World champion K1 1000m

One of the highlights for many athletes and people behind the scenes was the daily ice-cream with choice of numerous flavors. Did you know that poppy-seed is everywhere in the Hungarian cuisine, from entrée to dessert?

Overall a smashing event that was well-organized, setting an example for future organizers.