TOKYO 2020
Canoeing at the Tokyo Olympics
July 23, 2021 - August 8, 2021 - The 2020 summer Olympic Games, the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, take place in Tokyo, Japan. The Tokyo Games mark the first time in Olympic competition that women will compete in canoes, having previously only competed in kayaks. Some men’s events seen in the Rio 2016 Games, notably the men’s kayak slalom pairs, were removed from the programme to allow for gender parity in competition.
Canoeing is divided between slalom and sprint events, using canoes and kayaks.
In slalom, competitors negotiate a whitewater course by weaving through a series of gates against the clock, with time penalties for mistakes such as touching or missing a gate.
In the sprint events, races are held on a flatwater course over 200, 500 and 1,000 metre distances.