Olympic Games

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Canoeing and Kayaking at the Olympics

Canoe and Kayak races at the Olympic Games are held on both flat water with competitors assigned to lanes (Sprint Events), and in slalom events. There are single, double and four boats. The kayak boats are identified by the letter “K” while the canoes are prefixed by a “C”, with the following number indicating the number of paddlers. Below is a list of all the events that are currently on the Olympic program.

Events at the 2012 London Games

Flatwater	Slalom
C-1 1000m (canoe single) Men C-1 500m (canoe single) Men C-2 1000m (canoe double) Men C-2 500m (canoe double) Men K-1 1000m (kayak single) Men K-1 500m (kayak single) Men K-2 1000m (kayak double) Men K-2 500m (kayak double) Men K-4 1000m (kayak four) Men K-1 500m (kayak single) Women K-2 500m (kayak double) Women K-4 500m (kayak four) Women	C-1 (canoe single) Men C-2 (canoe double) Men K-1 (kayak single) Men K-1 (kayak single) Women

Trivia

• The sport of canoe / kayak was a demonstration sport at the Paris Olympics in 1924.

• Canoe-Kayak was first held at the Olympic Games in 1936 with Flatwater Racing, while Slalom Racing did not appear in the Olympic Program until 1972.

• Women were added to the program later than the men, and competed only in kayaks.

Competitors

• The most successful Olympic competitor was Sweden's Gert Fredericson, who between 1948 and 1969 captured 6 gold medals and one bronze. See more on the Greatest Paddlers at the Olympics.

Related Pages

• List of Olympic Sports
• See more on the Greatest Paddlers at the Olympics.
• more about the sports of Canoeing and Kayaking