kids encyclopedia robot

Canoeing at the Summer Olympics facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Canoeing at the Summer Olympics
Canoeing (slalom) pictogram.svg
Governing body ICF
Events 16 (men: 8; women: 8)
Games
  • 1896
  • 1900
  • 1904
  • 1908
  • 1912
  • 1920
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2000
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2016
  • 2020
Note: demonstration or exhibition sport years indicated in italics
  • Medalists

Canoeing has been a super exciting sport at the Summer Olympic Games since the 1936 Games in Berlin. Before that, it was shown off as a demonstration sport at the 1924 Games in Paris.

In Olympic canoeing, there are two main types of races: slalom and sprint. Athletes use two kinds of boats: canoes, which can hold one or two paddlers, and kayaks, which can hold one, two, or even four paddlers. This is why you see names like "C-1" (a single person in a canoe) or "K-2" (two people in a kayak).

Races are usually 500 metres or 1000 metres long. For a while, from 1936 to 1956, there were even really long 10-kilometre races! In 2009, the International Canoe Federation decided to change some of the men's 500-metre races to shorter 200-metre events for the 2012 Summer Olympics. They also added a women's K-1 200-metre race.

Canoeing at the Olympics: A Quick Look

Canoeing has been a part of almost every Summer Olympics since 1936. It's a sport where countries compete to see who has the fastest and most skilled paddlers.

How Many Events and Who Was Best?

Over the years, the number of canoeing events has changed. For example, in 1936, there were 9 events. By 1992, there were 16 events, and this number stayed the same until 2020.

Many different countries have done well in Olympic canoeing. Some nations, like Germany, the Soviet Union, and Hungary, have won many medals over the years.

Canoe Sprint: Fast Races on Calm Water

Canoe sprint is all about speed! Athletes race in a straight line on calm water, trying to cross the finish line first.

Sprint Events You'll See

There are different types of sprint events, depending on the boat and the number of paddlers. Here are some of the main ones:

  • Men's C-1 1000 m: One person in a canoe, racing 1000 metres. This has been an event since 1936.
  • Men's K-1 1000 m: One person in a kayak, racing 1000 metres. Also a long-standing event since 1936.
  • Men's C-2 500 m: Two people in a canoe, racing 500 metres.
  • Men's K-2 500 m: Two people in a kayak, racing 500 metres.
  • Men's K-4 500 m: Four people in a kayak, racing 500 metres.
  • Women's C-1 200 m: One person in a canoe, racing 200 metres. This is a newer event, added in 2020.
  • Women's C-2 500 m: Two people in a canoe, racing 500 metres. Also a newer event from 2020.
  • Women's K-1 500 m: One person in a kayak, racing 500 metres. This event started in 1948.
  • Women's K-2 500 m: Two people in a kayak, racing 500 metres.
  • Women's K-4 500 m: Four people in a kayak, racing 500 metres.

Past Sprint Events

Some sprint events that used to be in the Olympics are no longer held. These include:

  • Men's C-1 200 m
  • Men's C-1 500 m
  • Men's C-2 1000 m
  • Very long races like Men's C-1 10000 m and K-1 10000 m.
  • Men's K-1 4 × 500 m relay.
  • Men's K-2 200 m and K-2 1000 m.
  • Men's K-4 1000 m.
  • Special "folding" kayak races (K-1 and K-2 10000 m) were only held in 1936.
  • Women's K-1 200 m.

Sprint Medal Winners

Here's a look at which countries have won the most medals in Canoe Sprint:

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Germany (GER) 29 17 16 62
2  Soviet Union (URS) 29 13 9 51
3  Hungary (HUN) 28 31 27 86
4  Sweden (SWE) 15 11 4 30
5  Romania (ROU) 10 10 14 34
6  East Germany (GDR) 10 7 8 25
7  New Zealand (NZL) 10 2 2 14
8  Norway (NOR) 6 4 4 14
9  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 6 3 1 10
10  United States (USA) 5 3 4 12
11  Finland (FIN) 5 2 3 10
12  Canada (CAN) 4 11 11 26
13  Spain (ESP) 4 9 4 17
14  Italy (ITA) 4 7 3 14
15  Australia (AUS) 4 5 11 20
16  Bulgaria (BUL) 4 5 8 17
17  United Team of Germany (EUA) 4 5 2 11
18  Denmark (DEN) 3 6 7 16
19  Austria (AUT) 3 4 5 12
20  Ukraine (UKR) 3 3 4 10
21  China (CHN) 3 2 0 5
22  Great Britain (GBR) 3 1 5 9
23  Russia (RUS) 2 4 6 12
24  Belarus (BLR) 2 3 4 9
25  West Germany (FRG) 2 3 2 7
26  Yugoslavia (YUG) 2 2 1 5
27  Czech Republic (CZE) 2 1 3 6
28  France (FRA) 1 6 11 18
29  Cuba (CUB) 1 3 0 4
30  Brazil (BRA) 1 2 1 4
31  Unified Team (EUN) 1 1 0 2
32  Poland (POL) 0 7 14 21
33  Netherlands (NED) 0 3 5 8
34  Slovakia (SVK) 0 3 2 5
35  Latvia (LAT) 0 2 0 2
36  Azerbaijan (AZE) 0 1 1 2
 Moldova (MDA) 0 1 1 2
 Portugal (POR) 0 1 1 2
39  Serbia (SRB) 0 1 0 1
 Switzerland (SUI) 0 1 0 1
41  Israel (ISR) 0 0 1 1
 Lithuania (LTU) 0 0 1 1
 South Africa (RSA) 0 0 1 1
Totals (43 entries) 206 206 207 619

Canoe Slalom: Racing Through Rapids

Canoe slalom is a thrilling event where paddlers navigate their boats through a tricky course on whitewater rapids. They have to pass through "gates" (poles hanging over the water) in the correct order and direction without touching them.

Slalom Events You'll See

Here are the main types of slalom events:

  • Men's C-1: One person in a canoe, going through the slalom course. This event was first held in 1972 and then returned in 1992.
  • Men's K-1: One person in a kayak, tackling the slalom course. Like C-1, it started in 1972 and came back in 1992.
  • Men’s KX-1: A newer kayak cross event, added for 2024.
  • Women's C-1: One person in a canoe, racing through the slalom course. This is a newer event, added in 2020.
  • Women's K-1: One person in a kayak, going through the slalom course.
  • Women’s KX-1: A newer kayak cross event for women, added for 2024.

Past Slalom Events

The Men's C-2 event (two people in a canoe) was part of the slalom competition from 1972 to 2016 but is no longer on the program.

Slalom Medal Winners

Here's a look at which countries have won the most medals in Canoe Slalom:

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Slovakia (SVK) 8 4 3 15
2  France (FRA) 7 3 8 18
3  Germany (GER) 5 2 8 15
4  East Germany (GDR) 4 0 1 5
5  Czech Republic (CZE) 3 5 3 11
6  Great Britain (GBR) 2 7 1 10
7  Italy (ITA) 2 0 1 3
8  Australia (AUS) 1 3 3 7
9  United States (USA) 1 2 2 5
10  Slovenia (SLO) 1 2 0 3
11  Spain (ESP) 1 1 1 3
12  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 1 1 0 2
13  West Germany (FRG) 0 3 1 4
14  Austria (AUT) 0 1 1 2
15  New Zealand (NZL) 0 1 0 1
 Poland (POL) 0 1 0 1
17  Japan (JPN) 0 0 1 1
 Russia (RUS) 0 0 1 1
 Togo (TOG) 0 0 1 1
Totals (19 entries) 36 36 36 108

Overall Medal Table for Canoeing

This table combines all the medals won in both Canoe Sprint and Canoe Slalom events at the Summer Olympics.

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Germany 34 19 24 77
2  Soviet Union 29 13 9 51
3  Hungary 28 31 27 86
4  Sweden 15 11 4 30
5  East Germany 14 7 9 30
6  Romania 10 10 14 34
7  New Zealand 10 3 2 15
8  France 8 9 19 36
9  Slovakia 8 7 5 20
10  Czechoslovakia 7 4 1 12
11  Italy 6 7 4 17
12  United States 6 5 6 17
13  Norway 6 4 4 14
14  Spain 5 10 5 20
15  Australia 5 8 14 27
16  Great Britain 5 8 6 19
17  Czech Republic 5 6 6 17
18  Finland 5 2 3 10
19  Canada 4 11 11 26
20  Bulgaria 4 5 8 17
21  United Team of Germany 4 5 2 11
22  Denmark 3 6 7 16
23  Austria 3 5 6 14
24  Ukraine 3 3 4 10
25  China 3 2 0 5
26  West Germany 2 6 3 11
27  Russia 2 4 7 13
28  Belarus 2 3 4 9
29  Yugoslavia 2 2 1 5
30  Cuba 1 3 0 4
31  Brazil 1 2 1 4
32  Slovenia 1 2 0 3
33  Unified Team 1 1 0 2
34  Poland 0 8 14 22
35  Netherlands 0 3 5 8
36  Latvia 0 2 0 2
37  Azerbaijan 0 1 1 2
 Moldova 0 1 1 2
 Portugal 0 1 1 2
40  Serbia 0 1 0 1
 Switzerland 0 1 0 1
42  Israel 0 0 1 1
 Japan 0 0 1 1
 Lithuania 0 0 1 1
 South Africa 0 0 1 1
 Togo 0 0 1 1
Totals (46 entries) 242 242 243 727

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Piragüismo en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Canoeing at the Summer Olympics Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.