After the first two editions in Russian city Barnaul and Linyi in China, the 2020 event is due to take place on the Oklahoma River in downtown Oklahoma City on August 21 and 22, with men’s and women’s kayak and canoe races, and the mixed canoe race scheduled.

The ICF promises "generous" prize money will be offered, and action will be televised live around the world, including on Eurosport and NBC in the United States.

The event will be held two weeks after the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the best canoe sprint athletes in the world invited to compete in the ICF Super Cup.

A small number of wildcards will be available for local athletes.

ICF secretary general Simon Toulson stated it is exciting to take the event to the US.

"After hosting Super Cups in Russia and then China, it made a lot of sense to take the 2020 version to the United States, so we were particularly thrilled when Oklahoma City expressed interest in hosting the event," he said

"The athletes who have competed so far love the format, they love the relaxed atmosphere, and they love the camaraderie with fellow competitors.

"This year, they’ll be racing against athletes who only weeks before were Olympic opponents.

"We are always looking at new ideas to further improve our event and are excited to be racing under lights in Oklahoma.

"It opens up all kinds of possibilities for our live television coverage and to add to the enjoyment for the athletes."

The ICF Super Cup is unique in that it holds races over unusual distances, opening up the opportunity for both sprint and distance specialists to vie for prize money.

The first ICF Super Cup in 2018 featured races over 350 metres, while last year in China, athletes had to sprint down a 300m course.

Mike Knopp, the executive director of RIVERSPORT - a project of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, claims the ICF Super Cup advances Oklahoma City’s efforts over the past decade to establish the Boathouse District and Oklahoma River as a global destination for paddlesports.

"We are honored to host this event as it perfectly aligns with the spirit of innovation that has driven the development of the Boathouse District as a world-class urban venue with state-of-the-art facilities and the world’s only stadium-lit river race course," he said.

"We are also particularly excited about the opportunity to leverage this event to advance the enthusiasm for the Olympic Movement and spark interest among hundreds of youth who will participate in exhibition events surrounding the Super Cup that will serve as an inspirational culmination of a summer for outreach programming aimed at introducing urban youth to outdoor adventure and paddlesports."

Toulson pointed out how canoeing has a long history in the Oklahoma region, especially among Native Americans. 

The new "First Americans Museum", due to open on the Oklahoma River in 2021, will feature a display showcasing the role canoeing had in the lives of American Indians.

The ICF held its 2014 Canoe Marathon World Championships at the same Oklahoma venue, and Toulson stated the event was a tremendous success.

"We were impressed by the number of spectators who came down to watch the racing in 2014," he said.

"This year we can expect even more interest, especially given the opportunity for fans to watch athletes who just weeks before paddled for gold in Tokyo."