A total of 61 teams are set to compete in the Rafting World Cup Series and African Championship, which officially kicks off tomorrow at Rapids Camp, Sagana, Murang’a County.
The competition will feature 16 mixed teams (men and women), two para-rafting teams, 28 teams in the men’s open category, and 15 teams in the women’s open category.
“These are great numbers for us. It’s going to be a long day. The first race will be tomorrow with the Sprint event, followed by the RX on Friday and the Slalom on Saturday. With 61 teams, it’s going to be long but exciting days for everyone,” said Eric Boudreau, Sports Director for United Rafting and Coordinator of the 2026 World Cup Series.
“This is the African Continental Championship, but at the same time, it’s also a World Cup event, so teams from outside Africa were invited. We have teams from Italy, Japan, and Russia, and we’re especially impressed by the strong participation from African nations,” added Boudreau.
A total of 19 countries will compete, 13 from Africa and six from Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
“We can see that rafting is still a relatively new sport in Africa. However, some African teams already have considerable experience, while the teams from outside Africa have been competing internationally for many years. We have athletes of all experience levels, so it will be exciting to see them on the river when the competition begins tomorrow,” said Boudreau.
Teams have spent the past three days familiarizing themselves with the course and making their final preparations. The competition officially gets underway tomorrow with the Sprint event, followed by RX (Raft Cross) on Friday and Slalom on Saturday.
