Brazil will host the world’s most important Polynesian canoe (va’a) race for the second time. By decision of the IVF (International Canoe Federation), the city of Niteroi (Rio de Janeiro State) has been chosen to host the world elite of the sport in 2025. The tournament will include long distance races of up to 24 kilometres.

The competition is scheduled to take place in Brazil between 8 and 17 August 2025. The championship is held every two years. It will be held in Samoa (Oceania) in 2023. Brazil will host the competition, which has been held since 1984, for the second time. The previous tournament in this country was held in 2014 in Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Rio de Janeiro in a sprint format. This time the competition will be held in a marathon format.

Niteroi Municipal Secretary for Sports and Recreation Rubens Goulart said the large number of people playing the sport in the city was one of the factors that influenced the choice of IVF, as reported by Toda Palavra, a partner of TV BRICS.

“It is very important for Niteroi to host a World Cup of this magnitude, as it is a biennial event and has never been held in Brazil in the format that we will have. Polynesian canoeing is one of the pillars of the city’s sporting life, which already has more than three thousand fans and a growing number of practising athletes. Nothing could be fairer if the world championship in this category is held in Niteroi,” he emphasised.

Tiago Martins, president of FCHERJ, the Rio de Janeiro State Canoe Federation, which organises the event in conjunction with CBVA’A, the Brazilian Canoe Confederation, announced the large number of athletes from abroad who will be coming to the country for the 2025 event in Niteroi.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to host the World Championships. The competition is held every two years and attracts the best athletes from all over the world. For the first time we are hosting the World Canoe Marathon Championships. There is nothing better to host the event than Niteroi, a city with more than forty canoe clubs and the highest concentration of canoeists in the country,” said Tiago Martins.

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