Canoeing at the Games
Within canoe racing there are two disciplines, Canoe Sprint and Canoe Slalom. Canoe is a generic term and includes kayaks and canoes. 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.
Canoe Sprint reached the Olympic Games as a demonstration event in 1924. It became a full medal sport at Berlin 1936, with women first competing (Kayak only) in London 1948.
Canoe Sprint
In the Sprint competitions, paddlers race across still water over distances of 500m and 1000m. There are events for single athletes (C1, K1), pairs (C2, K2) and fours (K4) and all competition takes place in nine-abreast racing.

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