Junior International Championship Kaniow 2026

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Introduction

We would like to invite you to the 2026 Junior Canoe Polo Championships, which will take
place in Kaniow, Poland. This event continues the tradition of the Junior Championships held
in Belfast since 2017. Pete Boyle, the founder and organiser of the Belfast tournament,
supports this initiative and is providing his patronage to the event.

Preface

In 2017, we received our first invitation to take part in an international junior championship in
Belfast, Northern Ireland. The invitation itself, and the chance to offer Czech juniors an
international tournament in different age categories, was a strong motivation for training. I
would say that the 2017 event and its following editions helped shape the next generation of
canoe polo players—not only in Czechia, but also in many other countries, including outside
Europe.
During each tournament, besides the sporting experience, new connections and friendships
were created—not only among players and coaches, but also among parents, volunteers,
and the whole canoe polo family. Over the years, club boards also managed to improve the
organisation of these trips and to develop better ways of financial and material support from
national federations. Overall, it is hard to find any real negatives. Perhaps the only one was
the heavy feeling of melancholy after returning home—but it always disappeared quickly with
the next training session or tournament.

Players who are now shaping world canoe polo—such as Angus, Caleb, Fergal, Sara, and
others—have grown up, and it is understandable that the motivation to keep organising the
junior event in the same place has become a bit lower. The time has come to take over the
baton and continue the tradition. In autumn 2025, we therefore met in an inter-club
cooperation between KP Praha, UKS SET Kaniow, and UKS Katowice, and we would like to
offer you the continuation of this successful series of international junior tournaments—this
time at the UKS SET Kaniow club venue.

Organising Team

The organising team consists of members of the clubs UKS Set Kaniow, UKS Kanu
Katowice, and KP Praha.

Official contact email:
juniorkaniow2026@gmail.com

Organizers:
Dariusz Pilarz, Łukasz Pilarz, Szczepan Witasek, Petr Ježdík, Jakub Koutník,
Agnieszka Dobel

Location

• Venue: Kaniow – Czechowice-Dziedzice (near Bielsko-Biała), Poland
• Address: Malinowa 6, 43-512 Kaniów, Poland
• https://maps.app.goo.gl/6riTCmSBBQoPEmcF7

Venue

• Venue site: A lake with permanent canoe polo pitches.
• In 2025, the venue hosted the ECA Canoe Polo European Club Championships
  (ECC). It also regularly hosts tournaments such as the Polish Championships and
  the Kaniow International Tournament.
• Number of pitches: 5

Programme
Event dates: 28.7.– 02.8. 2026

• 28.7 (Tuesday)​ venue opens, free training sessions
• 29.7 (Wednesday)​ official training sessions + opening ceremony
• 30.7 (Thursday)​ match day 1
• 31.7 (Friday)​ match day 2
• 01.8 (Saturday)​ match day 3
• 02.8 (Sunday)​​ match day 4 - finals (the last match will start at 15:00)
• 03.8 (Monday) ​teams depart, venue closes

Registration
Teams may register as national teams (preferred) or club teams.
Registration will take place in phases:

Phase 1: registration deadline is 17 March 2026.
In this phase, each club can register only one team per category (no B teams).

Phase 2:
If the tournament capacity is not filled in Phase 1, it will be possible to register
additional B teams.

Categories

• U12 (2014): 10 teams*
• U14 (2012): 10 teams*
• U16 (2010): 16 teams*
• U18M (2008): 16 teams*
• U18W (2008): 10 teams*
• U21M (2005): 12 teams*
• U21W (2005): 10 teams*
• U23 (2003): 6 teams*

*approx. capacity
Total maximum capacity: 75 teams

Fees
The tournament is non-profit. The entry fee is set to cover direct tournament costs only
(mainly referees).

Entry fee: €150 per team
UKS SET KANIOW​
BATALIONOW CHLOPSKICH 15 43-514 KANIOW​
IBAN: PL 89 1050 1256 1000 0022 8495 8069​
SWIFT: INGBPLPW (ING Bank Slaski)
Registration is confirmed after payment. If there are more registrations than the
tournament capacity on 17.3.2026, the organizer reserves the right to adjust the start
list.

Catering - Canoe Polo Kitchen

It will be possible to order catering for the whole tournament (breakfast, lunch, dinner, plus
fruit, bread/rolls, and snacks available throughout the day). A team of cooks will prepare the
meals on site.

The main benefit is that food is available throughout the day, so teams and players
can fit meal times around the game schedule.

At the same time, we would like each delegation to bring 1–2 volunteers (typically
parents) to help with meal preparation for catering teams (for example for 1–2 days).
We have very good experience with this shared cooking model from Belfast: at the Belfast
event in 2025, we prepared food together this way (Czech Republic and Denmark—around
11 teams in total). For this championship, we would like to involve more teams in the shared
“canoe polo kitchen.” We believe that cooking together will create a friendly international
group and contribute significantly to the overall atmosphere of the event.

This model also seems to us to be the best organisationally, the most cost-effective, and the
most sustainable.

Catering price: approximately €12 per person per day (to be confirmed based on the
number of registered athletes and volunteers).

There will also be a separate snack bar at the venue (coffee, drinks, burgers, chicken strips,
zapiekanka, etc.), and supermarkets are about 5 minutes away by car.

Referees

ICF referees will be invited to the tournament. We would also like to invite developing
referees (junior or senior) who are considering becoming ICF referees in the future, as well
as referees who do not yet hold a licence. We help to cover referees’ travel costs,
accommodation, and meals. If anyone is interested in attending the tournament as a referee,
please contact us at juniorkaniow2026@gmail.com

Accommodation

Accommodation options:

• camping in your own tents directly at the venue (free of charge)
• guesthouses and hotels near the venue
• if needed, we can help you choose and book accommodation

Boat Rental

If needed, it will be possible to borrow plastic boats from the organisers (Exo / Dragorossi).
Availability will be limited, and requests must be submitted in advance.