OKLAHOMA CITY – This past week, Oklahoma City’s RIVERSPORT became a gathering place for more than 300 canoe slalom athletes from 50 nations as competitors arrived to race in the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.
By Saturday, July 25, world champions had been crowned and medals awarded, but Oklahoma City’s role in the story is far from over. In two years, many of the same athletes will return to the same whitewater course for the canoe slalom events of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Just as the event served as an important stop on the road to LA28 for many athletes, it also offered Oklahoma City a chance to rehearse for one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
From welcoming international teams to hosting spectators from around the globe, the week was just as much about preparing the city as it was about the competition. And, further than that, the week-long competition also served as a milestone of its own.
“It is tempting to think of this as just a milestone along the journey to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which will, of course, bring the Olympics right here to the heart of Oklahoma City, but I want you to understand that this event itself is the realization of a 20-25-year dream for this community,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships Opening Ceremonies.
Sports destination
The story of RIVERSPORT began long before Olympic dreams came to Oklahoma City. After MAPS projects transformed the North Canadian River into the Oklahoma River in the early 2000s, the city began investing in the Boathouse District as a destination for rowing, paddlesports, and outdoor recreation.
The centerpiece came in 2016 with the opening of the $45.2 million RIVERSPORT Rapids, an 11-acre whitewater center built through MAPS 3. Designed by the same firm behind London’s 2012 Olympic whitewater venue, the facility features separate competition and recreation channels and hosts year-round training.
Over the past decade, those investments have transformed Oklahoma City into an international hub for paddle sports.
“We get to witness this because our residents have invested in paddle sports,” Mayor Holt said. “This is truly one of the finest paddle sport destinations in the world.”
At the Opening Ceremonies, hundreds of athletes, coaches and supporters filled the venue, waving national flags and cheering as teams were introduced. Between ceremonies, attendees mingled with competitors from across the globe and experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not just for the athletes, but for the city.
“This is the most important sporting event that we’ve ever hosted in Oklahoma City,” Mayor Holt said.
RIVERSPORT Executive Director Mike Knopp echoed similar sentiments in a recent press statement.
“Aside from the Olympic Games, this is the most significant event in any given year for the sport,” Knopp said. “Oklahoma City invested in a world-class whitewater rapids center, and now, we’re seeing recognition from around the world. It’s a great moment for our city and state.”
“The next three years are going to be such an exciting time for our athletes and our sport, and we are so thankful for our relationship with RIVERSPORT and Oklahoma City,” said Jed Hinkley, American Canoe Association Competition Director, in the same press statement.
When worlds collide
In a stand-out to many local attendees, the festivities paired elite international competition with local culture, as Oklahoma Fancy Dancers shared the stage with performances by LABRYS, while Original Flow and the Wavves accompanied Race Dance Collective in a collaboration that could only happen in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City has long embraced major sporting events like the Thunder’s 2025 NBA championship. But so too do Oklahomans turn out for arts festivals, concerts and community celebrations like Norman Music Fest and and the Festival of the Arts. The Canoe Slalom World Championships brought those worlds together.
Local music fans found themselves immersed in the sport while athletes from Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas were introduced to Oklahoma musicians, dancers and artists. As athletes navigated the rapids, live performances from DJ Spenser Powers, Beau Jennings and the Tigers, Nia Moné, stepmom, and other Oklahoma artists filled the venue with music.
Musician Bella Burns spoke to Free Press on day four of the championship about what a unique opportunity this is for Oklahoma City locals.
“It’s extremely surreal because it’s amazing that we get to have this championship here in Oklahoma City,” Burns told Free Press. “I feel like more eyes are coming onto Oklahoma City, and to be a part of that growth and be featured here as part of the entertainment is so cool.”
When asked what she hopes international visitors take away from their experience, Burns said, “I hope they leave with the impression of how much talent we have here and how diverse it is.”
She hopes the event challenges the “flyover state” perception, adding, “I hope they take away that we’re bigger than it may seem.”
She said another thing she hopes comes across is a feeling of unity, not just across genres and subgenres of local music, but across the city.
“We uplift each other,” she said. “I have always loved that about Oklahoma City.
For a mid-size city to host an international championship, it’s just as much about the impression the city leaves as it is about what happens on the whitewater course. If this week introduced the world to a side of Oklahoma City it hadn’t seen before, then it also set the stage for an even bigger welcome when those athletes return for LA28.
Zoe Elrod covers events and happenings around Oklahoma City for Free Press bringing her skill as a reporter and photographer. Zoe has spent her career covering local musicians, artists, politicians, and everyday folks.
