After the 2000 edition organized in Liptovisky Mikulas, Slovakia was once again the centre of international white water canoeing for a few days as it hosted the World University White Water Canoeing Championships. The small town of Cunovo near Bratislava, the capital, was where the competition joined a tradition now more than 60 years old. The slalom course built on the Danube River in 1996 has welcomed many international competitions since it was inaugurated, and is one of the most difficult courses in Europe. The environment is gorgeous and the course is very attractive for spectators. Since the first edition that took place in Prague, Czech Republic in 1994, white water canoeing has been back almost every season in our World University Championship programs to the delight of connoisseurs.
This meeting attracts the very best, and it is not unusual to see the same champions excelling at international competitions like the World Cup or the Olympic Games.
For technical enthusiasts, the course is about 600 m long for both the slalom and the sprint. The width varies between 10 and 12 m with a change in level of about 10 m. the flow of the river is more or less 20 m³ per second.
Participants from 17 countries made an appointment for this edition with a total of 102 men and 31 women.