Oceania Canoe Association activities Q1 2026

Over the first quarter of 2026, the Oceania Canoe Association has been drafting its development plan for the remainder of 2026 and into 2027 and beyond, with the aim of ensuring the progressive development of our National Federations. 

Following a highly successful development camp held in New Zealand in December, efforts are underway to maintain momentum and regular contact with athletes and coaches. The coaches from Australia, provided to OCA at no cost by Paddle Australia, delivered excellent guidance during the camp. These coaches will now continue to advance athlete development in May through “home coaching visits” to the athlete’s homes countries. 

Alongside ongoing work in Samoa and the Cook Islands, the Solomon Islands secured Olympic Solidarity funding to support a Coaching Development Course. Nathan Luce, a high-performance coach from New Zealand, travelled to the Solomon Islands and delivered a week of intensive course content for participating coaches. 

The course brought together 17 enthusiastic coaches, including seven women, each with strong backgrounds in Va’a and outrigger paddling. Attendees represented major provinces and were primarily based in Honiara. While traditional canoeing is deeply rooted in Solomon Islands culture through vaka (dugout wooden canoes) paddling and tomoko (war canoe) festivals, Olympic Canoe Sprint remains relatively unknown in the region. The course was designed to respectfully bridge local traditions with modern ICF disciplines, aiming to build understanding, confidence, and capability instead of producing expert sprint coaches within a short period. 

Over five days, the programme combined classroom-based theory with daily on-water practical sessions at the ARO Outrigger and Canoe Club in downtown Honiara. Coaches were introduced to Olympic Canoe Sprint boats, basic technique, session and training plan design, and safe coaching practices, using teaching materials from the ICF and Canoe Racing New Zealand (www.paddler.nz). 

Thanks to legacy equipment purchased for the 2023 Pacific Games (Nelo boats and Braca paddles), participants were able to gain meaningful hands-on experience, progressing to ocean skis and finishing the course with a practical "out and back" ocean race. The strong Va’a community provides a natural foundation for future athlete and coach transfer into sprint and ocean disciplines, with genuine potential for growth beyond Honiara into provinces such as Malaita, where lagoons and population centres are well suited to paddling sports. 

The next steps involve athlete participation in the Pacific Games test event in August 2026. There will also be continued growth of the coach base in the islands, alongside ongoing development of young island athletes as we look towards 2028 and 2032. 

By Danielle Woodward, Secretary General for the Oceania Canoe Association