Funding has been announced to help Australia host the canoe slalom world championships following the success of the country's athletes at the Paris Olympics.
The federal and NSW governments have committed $3.2 million for Paddle Australia to host the championships at Penrith's Whitewater Stadium in Sydney in October 2025.
Around 300 athletes from 50 countries will compete in the 10 events including canoe and kayak singles, canoe and kayak teams and kayak cross in front of an estimated 20,000 spectators.
Whitewater sports are now known by Australian households after the success of sisters Jess and Noemie Fox at the Paris Olympics who won three gold medals.
The pair are scheduled to compete at the home championships next year.
In honour of their triumph at the Games, the NSW government has also announced the island in the centre of the whitewater stadium will be named Fox Island after the Fox family.
The stadium holds a special place in the Fox girls' hearts after watching the 2000 Olympics there, inspiring their future endeavours.
“I remember being a six-year-old in the stands for Sydney 2000 and an 11-year-old in the stands when the world championships were here in 2005, so to have that legacy 20, 25 years on, for me it means so much," Jess Fox said.
Premier Chris Minns said the renaming of the island was a fitting honour for the Olympic legends.
“A large part of Australia’s most successful Olympics performance in history came down to two girls from Penrith, Jess and Noemie Fox who honed their skills through countless hours on the rapids here at Penrith Whitewater Stadium," he said.
The Penrith stadium is undergoing a $3.1 million upgrade to make it fit for purpose for the 2025 championships.
The funding will go towards upgrading the whitewater course and venue infrastructure.
Paddle Australia welcomed the extra government cash.
“We want to build on the great success our athletes, in particular Jess and Noemie Fox, delivered for Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games," chief executive Phil Jones said.
