Youth Outrigger Canoe Challenge 2025: Meet the Young Paddlers Who Could Be Racing for Singapore at the World Championships
- Jun 2, 2025
- 3 min read
They are 11 to 19 years old. Some had never raced in open water before. And on 31 May and 1 June 2025, they paddled out from the shores of Sentosa and changed the future of outrigger canoeing in Singapore.
More than 150 young athletes from over 14 schools and youth groups gathered at Ola Beach Club for the inaugural Youth Outrigger Canoe Challenge (YOCC) — the first youth-focused outrigger canoe race ever held in Southeast Asia. What unfolded over those two days was less a competition and more a glimpse of what Singapore's paddling community could look like a decade from now.
From Prep to Proof
The participants did not arrive unprepared. Many had graduated from CanoeAcademy's foundational paddling programmes and other community-led training before stepping up to compete on open water. Among the groups represented were the Junior National Kayak Team, Born to Tri Warriors, and passionate paddlers from local outrigger clubs — a cross-section of Singapore's young sporting community united by the pull of the ocean.
Hosted by CanoeAcademy Pte Ltd at Ola Beach Club, Sentosa, the event was designed as exactly that: a challenge. A first real test of what these young athletes had been building in training, taken out of controlled environments and placed on the open water where outrigger canoeing belongs.
Nurturing the Young
For Denes Szaszak — founder of CanoeAcademy and paddle coach to both the national kayak team and Singapore Paddle Club — watching the event unfold was something he won't quickly forget.
"Watching these young athletes charge into open waters with courage and teamwork was one of the most inspiring sights we've seen. Singapore has sent adult crews to outrigger world championships, but we've yet to field a youth team. This is a pivotal moment. It's where the long-term growth of our sport begins — from water confidence to character development, both on and off the water."
That last point matters. Outrigger canoeing is not just a physical sport. The outrigger canoe demands collective rhythm, communication, and trust between paddlers. These are lessons that travel far beyond the water.
The Pathway Starts Here
Singapore has been sending adult crews to IVF World Championships since 2017. Singapore athletes like Kong Teck Lee have reached the international stage, securing a Top 10 finish in the V1 elite men's category at the 2023 IVF World Distance Championships in Samoa. But a youth team on the world stage has remained an unfulfilled ambition — until now, the pathway simply did not exist in a structured way.
YOCC changes that. It creates the bottom of a pipeline that, with consistent nurturing, could one day send Singaporean youth to compete internationally under the national flag.
The event was made possible with the support of Sport Singapore and the Singapore Canoe Federation, whose backing helped bring Singapore's first youth outrigger canoe race to life.
The Bigger Picture: 2026 Singapore World Sprints
The timing of YOCC's debut is no coincidence. With Singapore set to host the International Va'a Federation World Sprint Championships from 17 to 31 August 2026 — the first time the global event comes to Asia — there has never been a more important moment to invest in the next generation.
The youth paddlers who raced at Sentosa in June 2025 are the future faces of Singapore outrigger canoe. Some of them may well be racing at Marina Bay in front of a global audience in August 2026.
"This sport proves that water confidence and character development go hand in hand — both on and off the water." — Denes Szaszak, Founder, CanoeAcademy
Get Involved
If you are a young paddler — or a parent of one — interested in finding out more about outrigger canoeing in Singapore, we would love to hear from you. Drop us an email at vaa.association.singapore@gmail.com
