Canoe: Slalom Championships 2026-27

Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 February 2027

Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre, Adbolton Lane, Nottingham NG12 2LU

Tuesday 10 November 2026

Thursday 28 January 2027 at 23:59 – Team Entry Deadline

(Deadline for Open Classic Team Type 1 and Open Classic Team Type 2 teams to have been entered on BUCS Play by an Institution Administrator)

Tuesday 2 February 2027 at 23:59 – Student / Competitor Deadline

(Students / Competitors must apply to Individual AND Team Events by this deadline)

Thursday 4 February 2027 at 23:59 – Institution Admin Deadline

(Players to have been approved and assigned in a team by an Institution Administrator on BUCS Play)

Individual Events (Female and Open K1, Female and Open C1, Female and Open Kayak Cross): £31

Individual Event - Open C2: £31 (£15.50 per person) BOTH individuals must enter on BUCS Play

Team Events (Open Classic Team Type 1 and Open Classic Team Type 2): £36

A Stage 2 entry window may be available if deemed necessary by the Events Team. However, Stage 1 entries will retain priority. Stage 2 entries will incur a 20% surcharge on top of the price of Stage 1 entries.

Stage 2 Entry Costs (if applicable):

Individual Events (Female and Open K1, Female and Open C1, Female and Open Kayak Cross): £37.20

Team Events (Open Classic Team Type 1 and Open Classic Team Type 2): £43.20

K1 (Female and Open) - All types of K1 kayak allowed

C1 (Female and Open) - All types of C1 closed-cockpit 1-person canoe allowed

C2 (Open) - All types of C2 closed-cockpit 2-person canoe allowed

Kayak Cross (Female and Open)

Open Classic Team Type 1

Open Classic Team Type 2

CAN 3.2.1 An Open Classic Team Type 1 team shall consist of three boats. Any combination of boat classes (K1/C1/C2) and gender of team members is permitted.

CAN 3.2.2 An Open Classic Team Type 2 team shall consist of three boats. Any combination of boat classes (K1/C1/C2) and gender of team members is permitted, with the exception that individuals assigned male at birth are not permitted to use a K1.

CAN 3.2.3 An individual competitor may only enter each team event once and if entering both the Open Classic Team Type 1 and Classic Open Team Type 2 events must use a different boat class in each.

Please note, Team events and the C2 event require all individuals in the team to enter and be approved by the institution administrator (e.g. all members of an open team must enter that discipline). Please see the entry allowance tab for more information on how to rank these entries.

Please see Appendix 1 and Reg 6 for available BUCS Points.

If the competition reaches capacity, BUCS may restrict institution entry numbers. However, institutions may submit unlimited non-guaranteed entry requests. To ensure restrictions are applied fairly and consistently, all entries submitted via BUCS Play must be ranked by preference (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4).

For the C2 discipline, entries must be ranked in pairs according to boat pairings (e.g., 1, 1, followed by 2, 2, etc.). Please ensure that BOTH partners submit an entry for this event.

Individual Events

To apply for the competition all eligible competitors must follow these steps:

1. Competitor to apply to the event on BUCS Play (Instructions on how to do this can be found here)
2. Institution administrator approves entry (Instructions on how to do this can be found here)
3. BUCS approves/denies entry into competition and publishes confirmed entry list

Any data will be handled in accordance with BUCS Privacy Policy

By participating in this event you agree to adhere to BUCS General Event Disclaimer

To check whether you are eligible to compete in BUCS competitions, please visit REG 4 Individual Eligibility.

Team Events

To apply for this competition:

1. Entries will need to be submitted via the team entries section of our online entry system, BUCS Play (Instructions on how to do this can be found here)
2. Ask your Institution Administrator to enter the correct number of teams.
3. Competitors then need to apply for the respective event. (Instructions on how to do this can be found here)
4. Institution Administrators must assign competitors to the correct team during the approval process. (Instructions on how to do this can be found here)

Any data will be handled in accordance with BUCS Privacy Policy

By participating in this event you agree to adhere to BUCS General Event Disclaimer

To check whether you are eligible to compete in BUCS competitions, please visit REG 4 Individual Eligibility.

BUCS Canoeing Rules and Regulations

All competitors should be familiar with and understand available gender categories and regulations under REG 4.3. Please find further information on gender eligibility here.

Saturday

• Open K1
• Female C1
• Open C2
• Open Classic Team Type 2
• Kayak Cross Open and Female Timed Runs

Sunday

• Open C1
• Female K1
• Open Classic Team Type 1
• Kayak Cross Open and Female Head-to-Head

We welcome the participation of para athletes at this event. If you are a para-athlete that is looking to take part in this year’s BUCS Canoe Slalom event, then please email [email protected]  to express your interest and to see if appropriate accommodations can be made for your participation.

Anyone can apply if their equipment meets the following criteria, as per the Paddle Worldwide guidance:

Boat and Paddle 

Only mass-produced boats freely available for purchase on the open market are permitted. 

• Maximum length of boats: 2.75m 
• Minimum weight of boats: 18kg
• Plastic boats only  

• The paddle is not permitted to have any sharp edges on the paddle blade. 
• Metal tipped paddle blades are also not allowed. 
• The paddle edges must have a minimum thickness of 5mm (radius of 2.5mm).
• Paddles can be taped to make up 5mm and remove sharp edges

Body Protection and Equipment Control 

• Full body buoyancy aid.
• Full head protective helmet.
• Additional protection equipment is allowed (e.g. side protection, mouthguard, elbow protection). 

Athletes whose equipment fails to satisfy requirements during pre-competition Equipment Control will be barred from starting and marked as DNS. Should post-competition Equipment Control reveal non-compliant equipment, the athlete will be assigned a DSQ code.

Event Format

For the Kayak Cross Head-to-Head, competitors will start off the ramps, though they retain the choice to start directly from the water.

The top 32 from Open Kayak Cross timed runs and the top 32 from Female Kayak Cross timed runs will qualify for the Kayak Cross Head-to-Head on Sunday.

The event will be run in accordance with the British Canoeing Slalom Committee guidelines.

Institutions are responsible for the safety of their paddlers. Any safety provided by the organisers is additional to this. Clubs can provide safety boaters for their members (they must follow competitors down the course, not lead). The organisers should be made aware of this at the start line. Club Captains are advised that bankside safety is usually more appropriate. The organisers will supply some additional safety to assist if required.

Clubs bringing more than 12 paddlers are expected to supply at least one safety personnel to assist with general course safety.  If they bring 24 athletes, they must provide two safety personnel etc. Unfilled allocations incur a £150 fine per missing officer. A copy of their qualifications (WWSR/Rescue 3 Technician or equivalent) should be emailed to [email protected].

Institutions must also supply judges for pre-assigned shifts; failure to provide a required judge results in a £50 fine.

An institution representative must collect all bibs together using a student ID or cash deposit. Deposits will be returned when all bibs are returned.

Please see REG 7.9 for our withdrawal policy.

Withdrawals after 23:59 on Friday 12 February 2027 or no-shows will incur the full entry fee plus a £10 fine.

Withdrawals must be made in writing by the institution administrator to Tanyel Mustafa, BUCS Event Coordinator.

This will be released closer to the competition date.

Anyone wishing to take photos or video at this event must complete the BUCS Media Accreditation Form prior to the event. Once you have completed the form, please go to the BUCS Desk at the event to receive your media accreditation.

BUCS reserves the right to prohibit photography equipment being used at a BUCS event. BUCS reserves the right to request that the individual ceases to take photographs, deletes any images and, if considered necessary, leaves the venue.

If you wish to take photos or videos at this event, please contact the BUCS Event Lead. 

BUCS’ mission is to provide exceptional student sporting experiences that inspire, develop and unite.

Critical to our success is our commitment to always providing safe, friendly and enjoyable environments for all participants. Whether competing, coaching, officiating, volunteering, working or spectating at these events, the welfare of all is critical to our mission.

To find out more or report a concern, please click here.

All questions should in the first instance should be directed to your Institution Administration.