History

Canoeing was a demonstration sport in 1924 and was added to the Olympic program in 1936. The slalom events were added in 1972, then dropped until 1992.

Two types of canoes are used. The Canadian canoe is propelled by a single-bladed paddle and the blade has to be alternated between sides of the boat to keep it on a straight course. In the kayak, the paddler uses a paddle with a blade on each end.

Flatwater races begin with qualifying heats, and the top two or three finishers in each heat advance to the semifinals, based on qualifying times. The others go into a repechage round and the top three or four finishers in each heat of that round also move into the semifinals.

Through 1980, the top six finishers in the semifinals went into the final round to determine the medallists and the next six competed in a petit final for seventh through 12th places.

Since 1984, there have been nine finalists in the medal race and the petit final has been eliminated.

In the slalom, also called whitewater racing, paddlers have to negotiate an obstacle course containing 20 to 25. They race one at a time and are assessed penalties for various violations, such as touching a gate pole or going through a gate line upside down. Each point is equivalent to one second. The finishing time and the number of penalty points are added to determine the competitor's final score.

Each paddler makes two slalom runs; only the better run counts.

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