

History of the Canoe Sprint
Canoe Sprint first featured in the Olympic Games as a demonstration event in 1924. It became a full medal sport at Berlin 1936, with women first competing (in kayak only) in London 1948.
Canoe Sprint at the Games
Canoe refers to both kayak and canoe. The kayak 'paddler' is in a sitting position with a double ended paddle and the canoe ‘paddler’ kneels in the boat using a single bladed paddle. The racing is head to head across nine lanes with the objective of crossing the line first. In the Sprint competitions, paddlers race across calm water over distances of 200 metres, 500m and 1,000m. There are Olympic events for single athletes (C1, K1), pairs (C2, K2) and fours (K4). Both men and women race, though women are yet to achieve Olympic status in Canoe.
Venue: Eton Dorney
Dates: Monday 6 – Saturday 11 August
Gold medals up for grabs: 12
Athletes: 246
Where can I try Canoe Sprint?
Marlow Canoe Club
Chalfont Park Canoe Club
Bucks Athletes to follow
Andrew Daniels
Annie Vernon