More than 700 paddlers compete this weekend in the Spanish Sea Kayak Championship held in Vila Joiosa

The regattas will leave from the promenade of Doctor José María Esquerdo, on the central beach, on Saturday morning and will serve as a rehearsal for the celebration of the world championship in 2026, which will also take place in Vila Joiosa.

More than 700 athletes from all over Spain are competing this weekend, September 7 and 8, in the Spanish Sea Kayak Championship held in Vila Joiosa. The central beach, with the popular colourful houses, will be the setting for the departure and arrival of paddlers. On Saturday, from 10.30 am, the tests of the different categories will be contested, a distance of 3,000 meters for the young promising women and 8,000 meters for traditional and cadets. The main test will be the 17-kilometer downwind that will leave at 2:00 p.m. towards Campello or vice versa, depending on the direction of the wind that morning. The award ceremony will be held in the evening in the same promenade of Doctor José María Esquerdo. On Sunday, the competition will continue with the 3 and 8 kilometre modality with the mixed double, which will start from the central beach, next to the Nautical Club. Most of the participants come from the Valencian Community, followed by the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, and among the paddlers, more than 40 belong to the Nautical Club of Vila Joiosa.
 

At the presentation ceremony, held this morning at the Nautical Club of Vila Joiosa, the Councillor for Sports, Peyo Lloret, highlighted that this championship is another example that Vila Joiosa "is positioning itself as a city of sports of sea since we are lucky enough to enjoy a spectacular Mediterranean Sea, an enviable climate all year round that allows practicing a wide variety of nautical sports disciplines, so, from the Town Hall of Vila Joiosa, we bet for this type of event, both national and international in the hands of the Nautical Club of Vila Joiosa in order to also promote the municipality and nautical sports". Likewise, Lloret has shown its satisfaction because "this weekend Vila Joiosa will be the epicentre of kayaking in Spain and it is a matter of pride for the villagers, because in addition, we will be visited by paddlers and their families from various parts of the country that are going to get to know our beaches, our gastronomy and our heritage".
 

The president of the Nautical Club of Vila Joiosa, José Antonio Chapa, has pointed out that the number of registrations of participants in this test is a record, so "the organization of this Championship 'Spain is the icing on the cake that this club has been making for years with the sporting discipline of sea kayaking, ranging from the organization of different Spanish Cups, Spanish Championships, Europe, 15 editions of, one of the top series in the world like, the Euro challenge". In this regard, Chapa emphasised that this championship serves as a rehearsal for organizing the world championship that will be hosted by Vila Joiosa in 2026. In fact, during the medal ceremony on Saturday evening, Mayor Marcos Zaragoza will present to the public the identifying logo of the World Cup.