Competitors from 27 countries will compete on the Lenne River until Sunday (August 20).

The last major canoe slalom event of the year for junior and under-23 paddlers will have an Opening Ceremony tonight before competition gets underway tomorrow.

A number of medallists from the Junior and Under-23 World Championships in Bratislava in July are due to miss this event.

Slovakia's Jakub Grigar, British duo Kimberley Woods and Mallory Franklin and Andrea Herzog of Germany are all high-profile absentees.

However Tereza Fišerova of the Czech Republic, a silver medallist from this year’s senior European Championships, and Poland's Klaudia Zwolinska, a multiple junior European and world champion, will both take to the water.

Another Pole, Kacper Sztuba, will be aiming to add European glory to his Junior C1 world title.

Action begins tomorrow with heats in the men's C2, women's K1 and men's K1 categories.

On Friday (August 18), heats in the women's C1 and men's C1 will be held as well as all the team events.

Semi-finals and finals in the men’s K1 and C2 categories and women’s K1 are scheduled for Saturday (August 19).

The championships then conclude with semi-finals and finals in the women’s and men’s C1 categories on Sunday (August 20).