The freestyle kayaking world championships begin a month-long national television run on May 4. The broadcast will expose millions to the fast-growing sport of freestyle kayaking and to the compelling natural resources of the North Carolina Smokies and Swain County. Fox Sports Net National will carry the event on 14 regional sports networks and additional affiliate networks, reaching 100 million TV households in the first run and a cumulative total of more than 450 million TV households including repeat airings.
The hour-long broadcast includes exciting competition footage and interviews with kayaking’s biggest stars, including Dane Jackson, Eric Jackson, Claire O’Hara, Peter Csonka, James Bebbington, Jez Jezz and others. The event, which boasted 178 athletes from 30 different countries, drew 30,000 spectators to NOC’s Nantahala River campus and over 50,000 viewers on the event’s live stream making it “the biggest freestyle event ever held” according to Lluis Rabaneda Caselles, Chairman of the ICF Freestyle Committee.
Airings of the 2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships vary according to regional sports network coverage areas, so viewers should check local listings and consult the broadcast schedule below.
“This event was an important victory for Freestyle Kayaking, USA Canoe/Kayak and for Western North Carolina,” said NOC CEO Sutton Bacon. “We proved that freestyle competition can be as spectator-friendly as figure skating or snowboarding, and we proved that Western North Carolina has the natural resources and organizational strength to host world-class athletic events.”
Event organizers hope to introduce millions of Americans to paddlesports competition, which is wildly popular in Europe. Charles Conner, NOC’s marketing director, commented that “Freestyle kayaking, and all forms of whitewater paddling, provide accessible, healthy, human-powered recreational activities in beautiful river environments. We hope this broadcast motivates viewers to participate in paddling, and we know that the worlds top paddling athletes will entertain and impress anyone who sees the competition.”
After the event’s initial run on Fox Sports Net National the event will enter syndication on regional television broadcasts.
Links:
Official 2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships Event Website: See results, highlights and official Sports Scene coverage of the event.
2013 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships Event Facebok Page
USA Canoe/Kayak: The governing body of paddlesports competition in the US
Nantahala Racing Club: A non-profit organization committed to the development and training of whitewater slalom, wildwater and freestyle athletes.
Complete Fox Sports Net National Listings:
| Fox Sports South | AL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN | Monday, May 5 @ 10am Thursday, May 15 @ 3pm Sunday May 18 @ 12:30pm Sunday, May 18 @ 6pm Thursday, May 29 @3pm |
| Fox Sports Florida | FL, Southwestern AL | Tuesday, May 6 @ 4pm Saturday, May 10 @ 8am Thursday, May 15 @ 3pm Saturday, May 17 @ 3pm Monday, May 19 @ 9am Friday, May 23 @ 10am Sunday, May 25 @ 9am Thursday, May 29 @ 3pm Saturday, May 31 @ 8am |
| Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) |
PA, MD, DC, VA, WV, DE, NC | Sunday, May 4 @ 12pm Sunday May 18 @ 11am |
| Mid-Atlantic Sports Network 2 (MASN2) |
PA, MD, DC, VA, WV, DE, NC | Sunday, May 4 @ 12pm Monday, May 5 @ 8am Thursday, May 8 @ 3pm Sunday, May 11 @ 12pm Tuesday, May 12 @ 8am Thursday May 15 @ 3pm Sunday May 18 @ 12pm Monday, May 19 @ 8am Sunday, May 25 @ 12pm Monday, May 26 @ 8am Thursday, May 29 @ 5pm |
| Fox Sports Ohio | OH, IN, KY, PA, WV, NY | Sunday, May 4 @ 12pm Monday, May 5 @ 8am Tuesday, May 6 @10am Sunday, May 11 @ 7am Sunday, May 11 @ 12pm Tuesday, May 12 @ 8am Thursday May 15 @ 3pm Sunday May 18 @ 12pm Monday, May 19 @ 8am Sunday, May 25 @ 12pm Monday, May 26 @ 8am Thursday, May 29 @ 3pm |
| Fox Sports Midwest | IL, IN, NE, IA | Sunday, May 4 @ 9am Monday, May 5 @ 8am Wednesday, May 7 @ 8am Tuesday, May 12 @ 7am Thursday May 15 @ 2pm Saturday, May 17 @ 6pm Sunday May 18 @ 6pm Monday, May 19 @ 8am Sunday, May 24 @ 5pm Thursday, May 29 @ 3pm Thursday, May 29 @ 5pm |
| Fox Sports North | MN, WI, IA, MI, ND, SD | Monday, May 5 @ 8am Tuesday, May 12 @ 8am Thursday May 15 @ 3pm Monday, May 19 @ 8am Sunday, May 25 @ 12pm Monday, May 26 @ 8am |
| Fox Sports Wisconsin | WI, MN, MI, IL, IA | Monday, May 5 @ 8am Tuesday, May 12 @ 8am Thursday May 15 @ 3pm Monday, May 19 @ 8am Sunday, May 24 @ 1pm Monday, May 26 @ 8am Thursday, May 29 @ 3pm |
| Fox Sports Detroit | MI, IN, OH, WI | Monday, May 5 @ 8am Tuesday, May 12 @ 8am Thursday May 15 @ 3pm Sunday, May 18 @ 12pm Monday, May 19 @ 8am Monday, May 26 @ 8am |
| Fox Sports Oklahoma | OK | Tuesday, May 6 @10am Sunday, May 11 @ 7am Wednesday, May 14 @ 3am Sunday, May 25 @ 12am |
| Fox Sports Arizona | AZ, NM, UT, NV | Sunday, May 4 @ 7pm Thursday, May 8 @ 10pm Tuesday, May 13 @ 1:30pm Saturday, May 17 @ 3pm |
| Fox Sports Southwest | TX, LA, AL, FL, MS, MO, NM | Tuesday, May 6 @10am Sunday, May 11 @ 7am Wednesday, May 14 @ 3am Sunday, May 25 @ 12am |
| Fox Sports West | CA, NV, HI | Sunday, May 4 @ 7pm Thursday, May 8 @ 3pm Thursday, May 15 @ 3pm Saturday, May 17 @ 12pm |
| MSG Plus | NY | Saturday, May 17 @ 5pm Monday, May 26 @ 7:30am |
| Sun Sports Florida | FL | Thursday, May 8 @ 3pm Sunday, May 25 @ 12pm |
| Root Sports Rocky Mountain | CO, WY, ID, KS, NE, NV, SD | Tuesday, May 13 @ 12pm Saturday, May 17 @ 1pm |
| Root Sports Pittsburgh | PA, WV, OH, MD, KY | Monday, May 5 @ 11am Wednesday, May 7 @ 6pm Saturday, May 10 @ 4pm Thursday, May 15 @ 6am Friday, May 22 @ 6am Monday, May 27 @ 2pm |
| Sport South | AL, GA, SC, KY, TN, MS | Wednesday, May 7 @ 3am Sunday, May 18 @ 1pm Saturday, May 25 @ 1pm and 8pm Tuesday, May 28 @ 2pm Sunday, June 1 @ 8pm Thursday, June 5 @ 1am Friday, June 6 @ 1am Sunday, June 8 @12pm Sunday, June 15 @ 1pm Sunday, June 22 @ 12pm Monday, June 23 @ 4pm Friday, June 27 @ 11pm Sunday, June 29 @ 2pm |
| Sun Sports | FL | Thursday, May 8 @ 10:30am Tuesday, May 13 @ 11am Tuesday, May 27 @ 5pm Wednesday, June 4 @ 3pm Saturday, June 14 @ 2pm Thursday, June 19 @ 3pm |
| Comcast Philadelpiha | PA | Wednesday, May 28 @ 12am Saturday, June 28 @ 1:30pm |
| Comcast Chicago | IL, IN, IA | Wednesday, June 4 @ 12:30pm Saturday, June 21 @ 1:30pm |
-NOC Staff Report
May 1, 2014 | Bryson City, NC