A new date has been announced for the 2021 NZCT New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships after the event set for this weekend had to be postponed.

The competition has been rescheduled to take place on Friday, May 14 to Sunday, May 16 at Lake Karapiro.

The competition was initially scheduled for the weekend of Friday, February 21 to Sunday, February 21. However, this has been postponed due to Covid restrictions.

In close consultation with the clubs, four potential date options were explored. It was decided, thanks to club feedback and a range of factors, that the May date was the preferred choice.

It is hoped the new date will help high performance athletes involved in the countdown to the Tokyo Olympic Games, which were also postponed due to Covid last summer.

This year will see the tournament include the Oceania Championships. Distances will include 200m, 500m, 1000m (depending on age group) and 5km with age groups from U12 through to Masters.

Selection polices based on the new dates will be amended and NZCT are aiming to provide an update on this matter next week.