Part of the Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1924, canoeing has been ever-present in the Games since 1936. Changes have been inevitable over that period, with events tweaked and the equipment changing drastically.
It’s an easy enough sport to get to grips with if you’re considering a look at the canoeing live betting odds.
Intuitive and straightforward if you have knowledge of similar sports, canoeing can be an entertaining watch during the Olympics.
Before you analyse the sports betting options, familiarise yourself with how the sport works, starting off with a bit of its history.
History
Canoeing to get from A to B dates back centuries. As a recreational activity or sport, canoeing is a much more recent revelation.
The predecessor to the International Canoe Federation was only founded in 1924, which was just 12 years before it became a permanent feature in the Olympics.
At that time, the canoe sprint was the main form of canoeing competitively.
The usage of the term ‘canoeing’ varies in different parts of the world. Sometimes this includes kayaking and canoeing, sometimes people will differentiate between the two.
Since becoming a regular Olympic event in 1936, the canoeing schedule has been tweaked. There were spells in the 20th century with 500-metre races, and even a 10,000-metre race in the early years. A relay took place at the 1960 Games in Rome.
Rules
Canoeing is split into slaloms and sprints at the Olympics. Events either take place in canoes or kayaks. A C-1 event is a singles canoe, while a K-2 would mean a kayak doubles event. Men and women have K-4 500-metre events, which are kayak quads.
The Olympics uses a mechanical starting gate for races. The starter will say ‘start within 10 seconds’, which is followed by a sound from the starting system.
If any competitor paddles after the voice and before the sound, they are given a first warning and the process restarts. Two violations from a competitor result in disqualification.
Teams or individuals are disqualified if their boat capsizes.
In races, boats must never get within five metres of the boat next to it. The course umpire, following in a motorboat, will give a violation with a red flag if the distance is less than five metres.
A boat that does not stay in its lane is disqualified. The competition committee will give a disqualification verdict on any violation.
Teams can also be disqualified for changing any team members after the list is submitted. Boats arriving after the start time or coming in underweight will also be disqualified.
In the slalom, competitors must go through the gates in numerical order. There is a mix of upstream (red and white) and downstream (green and white) gates. Contestants must go through every gate in the correct direction.
Kayak cross has been added for the 2024 Olympics. This combines a time trial similar to the slalom course with a contact-heavy four-boat race.
Boats are launched off the top of a ramp at the start of the race – it’s bound to attract some new fans at this summer’s Games.
Scoring
The boat to cross the finish line in the fastest time is the winner of a canoe race at the Olympics. The timer stops when the bow of the boat crosses the finish line.
Penalties are added to times, so the initial time shown on the screen is not necessarily what will go onto the leaderboard.
In slalom events, touching a gate adds a two-second penalty. Missing a gate completely carries a 50-second time penalty – displacing a gate by 45 degrees, intentionally pushing the gate, or touching the gate without correct negotiation could also lead to a 50-second penalty.
The total score in the slalom is calculated by the finishing time plus the penalties. The shortest time wins.
Course Size & Dimensions
The Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium hosts canoe and kayak events at the 2024 Olympics. Events vary from 200 metres to 1000 metres.
Sprint
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Men's Kayak Single 1000m
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Women's Kayak Single 500m
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Men's Kayak Double 500m
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Women's Kayak Double 500m
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Men's Kayak Four 500m
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Women's Kayak Four 500m
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Men's Canoe Single 1000m
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Women's Canoe Single 200m
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Men's Canoe Double 500m
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Women's Canoe Double 500m
Slalom
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Men's Kayak Slalom
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Women's Kayak Slalom
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Men's Canoe Slalom
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Women's Canoe Slalom
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Men's Kayak Cross
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Women's Kayak Cross
Equipment
A one-person kayak has a maximum length of 520 centimetres and a minimum weight of 12 kilograms.
This becomes 650 centimetres and 18 kilograms for a two-person sprint kayak, and 1100 centimetres and 30 kilograms for a four-person kayak.
Sprint canoes are the same maximum length, apart from being 900 centimetres for the C-4. The weights are 14 kilograms, 20 kilograms, and 30 kilograms.
For slaloms, the K-1 and C-1 have minimum weights of nine kilograms. They cannot be longer than 350 centimetres.
Most Successful Countries at the Olympics
With 34 golds in canoeing, Germany top the overall medal table. Hungary, however, have the most total canoeing medals with 86, but they have six fewer golds. The Soviet Union also had more golds than the Hungarians.
Those three countries have really dominated the sport. France, Romania, and Sweden have 36, 34, and 30 total medals respectively. Only five countries have double-digit golds in canoeing (Germany, the Soviet Union, Hungary, Sweden, East Germany).
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
