The 1983 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in Meran, Italy under the auspices of International Canoe Federation for a record-tying third time, matching the record set by Spittal, Austria (1963, 1965, 1977). It was the 18th edition. Meran hosted the event previously in 1953 and 1971. The mixed C2 event was discontinued and the program remained unchanged until the 2009 Championships.
| Event | align=center bgcolor="gold" | Gold | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points | align=center bgcolor="silver" | Silver | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points | align=center bgcolor="CC9966" | Bronze | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 221.94 | 222.87 | 234.27 | |||||||||
| C1 team | Jon Lugbill David Hearn Kent Ford | 249.41 | Juraj Ontko Jozef Hajdučík Karel Ťoupalík | 276.16 | Martyn Hedges Peter Keane Jeremy Taylor | 276.63 | ||||||
| C2 | Lecky Haller Fritz Haller | 246.33 | Pierre Calori Jacques Calori | 248.05 | Steve Garvis Mike Garvis | 256.61 | ||||||
| C2 team | Miroslav Hajdučík & Milan Kučera Dušan Zaťko & Ľudovít Tkáč František Slavík & Jiří Decastelo | 288.57 | Lecky Haller & Fritz Haller Steve Garvis & Mike Garvis Charles Harris & John Harris | 295.50 | Eric Jamieson & Robin Williams Michael Smith & Andrew Smith Robert Joce & Robert Owen | 298.20 |
| Event | align=center bgcolor="gold" | Gold | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points | align=center bgcolor="silver" | Silver | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points | align=center bgcolor="CC9966" | Bronze | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K1 | 207.18 | 211.32 | 212.37 | |||||||||
| K1 team | Richard Fox Paul McConkey Jim Dolan | 232.24 | Toni Prijon Peter Micheler Dirk Bovensmann | 235.16 | Luboš Hilgert Ivan Hilgert Jiří Měchura | 238.01 |
| Event | align=center bgcolor="gold" | Gold | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points | align=center bgcolor="silver" | Silver | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points | align=center bgcolor="CC9966" | Bronze | align=center bgcolor="EFEFEF" | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K1 | 232.34 | 236.34 | 238.75 | |||||||||
| K1 team | Marie-Françoise Grange Sylvie Arnaud Myriam Jerusalmi | 270.76 | Elizabeth Sharman Jane Roderick Susan Garriock | 285.51 | Marcela Košťálová Eva Stavařová Marcela Kubričanová | 287.41 |