CanoeKayak Canada (CKC) was founded in 1900 and is an organization made up of three distinct and self-governing disciplines, sprint racing, white water and marathon canoe racing. The National Office is located in Ottawa at 2197 Riverside Drive.
The Sprint Racing Discipline of CKC is made up of over 60 clubs from across Canada including twelve new clubs in 2003 and 2004. The Clubs elect various persons to head up the sport at the CKC annual meeting, held the first weekend of May in Ottawa.
The CKC Sprint Racing Clubs are divided into six geographical areas called Divisions. Each Division has a volunteer Executive and runs the sport in its area.
Each Division's Executive is headed up by a "Flag Officer" who carries the CKC Flag, so to speak, in each Division.
CKC is funded, in part, by annual dues payable by each member Club, paddler registration fees paid by each competitor in Canada, and entry fees paid by whose who qualify for and enter events at the Canadian National Championships. It also receives funding from the federal government through the Sport Canada arm of Amateur Sport. Most federal money is earmarked for and must be applied against administration and National Team expenses.
The National Team is selected on the basis of trials, which are twice each year, usually in May and July. Members of the National Team hold an A, B, C, or D card issued to them by Sport Canada. Competitors receive A and B cards by securing high ranking results at World Championship events, while the C and D cards are issued by Sport Canada based on nominations for those carding designations by CKC. Athlete financial assistance from the federal government varies according to card level from the A card down to the D card level. There are currently 24 members on the National Sprint Racing Team.
National Team members compete throughout the summer as the Canadian entries at international regattas in Europe and at the World Championships. Athletes who participate in National Team Trials and do not make the National Team but show promise of doing well are named to a Developmental Team.
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) controls the sport of canoeing internationally. The ICF (canoeicf.com) was formed in 1924 to establish international racing regulations and promote canoeing worldwide. The ICF is the body responsible for the annual World Championship Regatta and it serves as the liaison for the sport with the International Olympic Committee. Sprint racing has been in the Olympics since 1936 when it was introduced at the Berlin Olympics.
CanoeKayak Canada is a member of ICF. The World Championship regatta has been hosted three times in Canada, once in Montreal in 1986 and twice in 1997 and 2009 on Lake Banook in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The Junior World Championship Regatta was held in Dartmouth in 1989.