Canoeing Ireland is embarking on an exciting new chapter for competition paddle sports, with a renewed commitment to shaping the future of our sport for young paddlers. The launch of the 2024-2028 Competition Pathway Strategy represents a shift in how we approach junior development—moving beyond a short-term focus on performance outcomes to a long-term, holistic model that prioritises sustained growth, engagement, and progression.
At the heart of this strategy is a clear framework designed to support young paddlers at every stage of their journey. By integrating modern coaching principles, paddler development, and competition structures, we aim to create an environment where success is measured not just by results, but by meaningful progression, retention, and well-rounded development.

Performance Director Jon Mackey, newly appointed Slalom coach developer Craig Morris, and Board member James O’Connor at the Competition Pathway Strategy launch
Key priorities include fostering long-term participation across all competitive disciplines—freestyle, marathon racing, ocean racing, paddle-surf, canoe polo, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, paracanoe, wild water racing, and stand-up paddleboarding. By uniting these disciplines under a shared vision, we will advance paddle sports through innovation, collaboration, and a ‘person-first’ approach that nurtures both performance and personal development.
Through this strategy, Canoeing Ireland is committed to ensuring that every young paddler has the opportunity to thrive, with the right support systems in place to sustain their journey in the sport—keeping ‘as many as possible for as long as possible’ engaged in paddle sports at every level.
The launch of this strategy marks the beginning of a process to bring paddle sports in Ireland to the cutting edge of junior development. The full strategy is available to read below –