Molmenti won the K1M race the last time his country hosted a World Cup stage in Merano in 2004 and the 31-year-old will be hoping for a repeat success at the upcoming three-day event.

"My first time in Ivrea was before 1999," said the 2010 World Cup series champion.

"I don’t remember my first race, but I remember when I was a kid doing the demo runs for the junior and senior races.

"Paddling in a venue inside such a beautiful city as Ivrea, it’s something that makes you enjoy more the sport you love."

A total of 36 countries are set to race in the newly-redeveloped channel in Ivrea, but the field is slightly depleted with several teams currently training in Rio de Janeiro for this year's Olympic Games. 

Italy’s Giovanni de Gennaro, Nigeria’s Johnathan Akinyemi, New Zealand’s Mike Dawson and Slovakia’s Jakub Grigar are among the canoeists selected for Rio 2016 that will be looking to claim top honours in Ivrea.

Pedro da Silva is part of the large team who have travelled over from Brazil for the evet, which forms part of her country’s Olympic selection.

Australia’s Jessica Fox is still chasing her first World Cup series title in K1W, but she is likely to face competition from Slovakia’s Elena Kaliska, winner of the Merano World Cup race in 2004.

Italy’s Roberto Colazingari, Paolo Ceccon and Stefano Cipressi are all expected to challenge for the C1M crown on home waters, with Great Britain’s Adam Burgess, the under-23 world champion, and Australian paddler Ian Borrows also set to be among the contenders.

European champion Nuria Vilarrubla of Spain is one of the main C1W contenders, while Slovakian cousins Ladislav and Peter Skantar, the 2014 World Cup series winners, are the favourites in the C2M competition.

Twin brothers Pavol and Peter Hochschorner, also of Slovakia, will look to replicate their success from the Merano World Cup race in 2004 that helped them to one of their record 10 World Cup series titles. 

Action in Ivrea is due to begin tomorrow with the heats in the C1M, C1W, K1M, K1W and C2M events.