Tacen is the venue for the last Canoe Slalom World Cup before this year's World Championships ©ICF

Slovenia's capital Ljubljana is ready to stage the final Canoe Slalom World Cup before this year's World Championships.

Action in the Tacen suburb is due to begin tomorrow, with men's and women's C1 and K1 heats.

In excess of 200 athletes from more than 30 countries are registered to compete.

This venue last staged a Canoe Slalom World Cup in 2020, but attendance was not as enthusiastic owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All four winners from the last full-sized World Cup in Ljubljana, in 2019, have returned.

Italy's Giovanni De Gennaro won the men's K1, Stefanie Horn the women's K1 and Roberto Colazingari the men’s C1 in a brilliant event for the nation.

Jessica Fox won C1 gold at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images
Jessica Fox won C1 gold at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images

Only Australian Jessica Fox, in the women's C1, won a gold medal in non-Italian colours.

Fox is the reigning Olympic C1 champion.

K1 finals are scheduled on Saturday (June 25) and C1 finals the next day.

The extreme canoe competition is also due to reach its climax on Sunday (June 26).

After the World Cup in Ljubljana, the next major slalom event on the International Canoe Federation calendar is the Canoe Slalom World Championships, due to take place in Augsburg in Germany from July 26 to 31.