What is Canoe Slalom ?
In Slalom Racing, paddlers have to navigate the kayak or canoe through pairs of poles, called "gates", set up over the challenging rapids, waves, eddies and currents on a 300m section of rough water. If the paddler touches a pole, or misses a gate altogether, penalty times are added to the time achieved by the competitor on that run. There are single kayak (K1) events, for men (M) and women (W), and canoe events, only for men, in single (C1) and double boats (C2). There are also team events, where 3 boats of one category only complete a team.
The proximity of the nature brings another dimension of this sport that is the fantastic friendship, solidarity, even though between different national teams, and sense of aid. It also connects athletes to the rivers, its protection and brings the important role of ecological awareness which is a subject of global interest in the present days.
Unfortunately the Second World War started 6 years after the first competition of slalom in Switzerland and, due to this fact, the development of slalom did not progress as flatwater did, especially from the point of view of Olympic participation. The first slalom world-wide championships under the auspices of the ICF (International Canoe Federation) was organized in 1949 in Geneva, Switzerland.
This discipline had its first participation in the Olympic Games in 1972, in Munich. Then, 20 years after, in 1992, the second participation consolidated slalom in the Olympic programme. Slalom K1M has achieved the third TV audience rates in the Olympic Games of Sydney and Athens, only bellow rates of 100 meters dash and swimming.
The future of slalom in the new century brings the status of a permanent Olympic sport and the organization of tests in artificial channels type stadium, as in the Sydney, Olympic Games, where the track is in a horseshoe shape, allowing spectators an ample vision from start to finish of the course. In Athens, the track has an "eight" shape, with a "bridge" of water over the lower end part of the course.
Brazilian Canoe Confederation
Copyright CBCa 2007