(2015 ☆ ARCHIVED) - Gyor Canoe Marathon World Championships - Hungary

GYOR - ICF CANOE MARATHON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Hungary) - Nominee for the 2015 'Industry Professional of the Year' award.

Website: http://gyor2015.com

The 2015 Marathon World Championships in Gyor have been labelled 'the best yet'. The championships, held from the 11th-13th of September attracted a record 50 countries, with many attendeeds proclaiming ‘this is what Marathon racing is all about.’

The shallow canals and tricky current flow made for some very interesting races with the world's top athletes being tested at every point of the race. This made for really tight racing, keeping spectators, both at the event and on the live-stream, on the edge of their seats right until the end.

Technologically, the championships were a step in the right direction for the marathon discipline. The event was transmitted live on M4 Sport and the coverage from the Hungarian TV crews were able to be viewed live at the event. With 16 high-definition cameras, three drones and a flycam, the spectators were able to get a feel for every stage of the race with the live-stream commentators helping build the excitement. Following the event on social media was also very easy with updates being provided instantaneously and official results being uploaded immediately.

From an onsite spectators point of view the atmosphere was electric. Due to the huge canoe/kayak following in Hungary the stands were filled with die-hard fans and the organisers made the most of this. The athlete and spectator areas were subsequently positioned side by side to allow for constant mingling, which created a real buzz amongst the crowd.

The spectators in the grandstand were constantly entertained with three giant screens linked to each camera on the course, allowing them to experience every nail biting moment. With each lap only being 3.8km long, the large grandstand allowed the race to be viewed better than ever before with almost every critical moment unfolding right in front of the crowd. On top of this, the Hungarian dominant crowd were given extra reason to cheer as their fellow countrymen and women topped the medal tally.

There were also many local canoe and kayak stars, both past and present, as ambassadors for the event who made various television appearances, helped with presentations and interacted with the spectators.

With this being Gyor’s third time hosting the event, they strived for complete perfection and from all reports they achieved just that. In terms of entertainment value and quality these championships were certainly the best this discipline has ever seen but ultimately it was the pride both the athletes and organisers took in the event that made the difference, paving the way for a memorable championships.

This is a 2015 archived nominee. Voting has closed.