Racing underway as master and elite teams face off first in IVF World Sprints Championships
Hilo is now at the center of the outrigger canoe racing world as the competition phase of the 2024 IVF World Sprint Championships officially launched just a little later than the planned 8 a.m. start today in Hilo Bay.
The 8 days of races kicked off Friday with matchups between the teams of master and elite paddlers — the powerhouses of paddling — among the nearly 3,000 on the Big Island for the championships.
By about 10 a.m., race No. 11 was underway with the Elite Junior Men V6 500 event.
“Hawai’i is an ancestral home of the sport of va‘a [outrigger canoe] and the whole va’a world is excited and happy to be here,” said International Va‘a Federation President Lara Collins.
In true Hilo fashion, the competitors were racing this morning in an overcast and rainy Hilo Bay, under no threat of getting sunburnt.
There are 47 races planned for today, expected to finish sometime by about 2 p.m. or so today. They begin again at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Check out the full race schedule here.
If you can’t get down to the bay to watch the action in person, there are several ways to watch live at home.
On Facebook:
On Youtube:
On your smart TV:
Just download “Adventure Zone Sports Network” and start streaming.
The World Elite and World Club Sprint Championships take place every two years, and the 2024 event is setting record numbers, with 2860 paddlers representing 27 nations taking part.
“We are excited to host so many paddlers from around the world here in Hilo,” said Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association board member, International Va‘a Federation board member and race commissioner Samantha Moikeha. “We look at this as a good cultural exchange and an opportunity to share our aloha with the world.”
For more information about the races, check out the event website or the International Va‘a Federation website.
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