Paddlesports in the 2024 Summer Olympics

Paddlesports have been part of the Summer Olympics for almost as long as the modern Games have been held. In fact, paddlesports made their Olympic debut 100 years ago in 1924 at the Paris Olympics, meaning this year is the centennial of their inclusion! 

The XXXIII Games will again be held in Paris, France (and surrounding areas) from July 26th through August 10th, with the Paralympic Games following in the same venues August 28th through September 8th. Read on to learn all about canoeing, kayaking, and other aquatic sports in the 33rd Olympiad!

Photo Credit: Braca-Sport // Athlete: Nevin Harrison

Paddlesports Competition on the World Stage

In international competition, nearly all paddlesports are referred to as “canoe events”, or less commonly, “canoe-kayak”. This is why the international governing body for paddlesports competition is known as the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and why on Olympic schedules you’ll see the events listed as Canoe Slalom and Canoe Sprint. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t kayaks involved though! Each discipline has a number of different sub-disciplines paddlers can compete in, and the biggest difference between them is whether paddlers use a canoe or a kayak. While points-based competitions, like whitewater freestyle, waveski surfing and kayak polo exist within the ICF system, all paddlesports events in the Olympic games are race-based events. 

Though not a traditional “paddlesport” per se, surfing will also be a part of the 2024 Summer Olympics, after being introduced in 2020 in the Tokyo Games. As fellow ocean lovers, we’re thrilled to see surfing on the world stage, and of course, we love catching waves on paddleboards and kayaks alike. Many of the moves performed in kayak surfing are the same as in shortboard surfing, while sea kayak and paddleboard surfing shares many similarities with longboard surfing. All surf activities require knowledge of ocean weather and the ability to read waves, so these athletes’ performances are sure to inspire any paddler!

Canoe versus Kayak: What’s the Difference?

In international competition, two factors decide whether a paddler is in a canoe or a kayak: paddle type, and body position. Canoes are paddled with a single-bladed paddle and in a kneeling position. This kneel can either be the “high kneeling” lunge used in flatwater racing, or on a saddle with heels tucked under the torso, as in whitewater. Kayaks, by comparison, are paddled with a two-bladed paddle, with the paddler sitting with their feet out in front of them. In high level competition like the Olympics, the actual boats used are the same between canoe and kayak, just with different outfitting to accommodate the different positions. 

In the Paralympic Games, racers compete in flatwater sprint, where they use either kayaks like those in the Olympics, or outrigger canoes (also called Va’a), which are paddled with single-blade canoe paddles, and in which paddlers are seated on a bench-like seat.  Incredibly narrow and fast, with an outrigger pontoon for stability, va’a have evolved from Polynesian paddling traditions, and are popular racing boats around the world, especially in the Pacific.

Canoe Sprint: Flatwater Racing at its Fastest 

Canoe Sprint is the closest cousin to sea kayaking in the Summer Olympics, and was the first paddlesport to be added to the Games. It debuted in Paris 1924 as a demonstration sport, and its first full competition appearance was in Berlin in 1936. When Canoe Sprint was first added, five kilometer and ten kilometer length races (3 and 6 miles respectively) were included. While a bit long to be considered a sprint, these are the distances raced in our weekly East End Race Series at East End Beach! Today, Olympic events are much shorter, with 200, 500, and 1000 meter events contested by both men and women. These lengths are comparable to many other Olympic sprint events, such as track and field, track cycling, and cross country skiing. 

Sprints are held over a straight stretch of flatwater, with racers each confined to their own lane. The competition begins with a series of heats on August 6th, leading up to the final race on August 10th. Paracanoe sprints will be held September 6th, 7th, and 8th. In Paris 2024, the hosting venue will be the flatwater section of the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Île-de-France, Vaires-sur-Marne. Competitors race in canoes and kayaks separately, with events for one, two, and four person boats. 

Canoe Slalom: Whitewater, with a Twist

Competitors race in the New England Slalom Series // Credit: New England Slalom Series

Canoe Slalom is a whitewater racing event in which paddlers must pass through a series of gates suspended above the river, as quickly as possible, without touching them, or else they will incur a time penalty. The majority of gates are green, meaning paddlers must pass through them going downstream, but some are red, meaning paddlers must turn against the primary current and pass through them upstream. In order to do so, racers employ a number of advanced maneuvers, including jet ferry surfs, attainments, stern pivots, and more. Though slalom is a popular recreational sport on natural rivers around the world, international level competitions are always held on man-made courses to ensure consistency and spectator access. 

Slalom made its Olympic debut in 1972 in West Germany, but due to the cost of creating artificial whitewater parks at the time, was cut from the Olympics for two decades, until it returned in 1992. In an event right out of a Cold War thriller, East Germany stole a copy of the plans for the 1972 whitewater course, allowing their team to practice on an identical course to that of the West Germans. Fortunately, the creation of modern whitewater parks around the globe have removed the need for such tactics. In fact, the United States is home to several artificial whitewater parks, and an “improved riverbed” whitewater park is under construction right here in Maine, on the Kennebec river in Skowhegan! 

Like sprint, slalom has also trended towards shorter courses over time. It has also seen the removal of the two person boat events in recent years, and the removal of the “reverse gate” which required paddlers to enter going backwards! Today races are held over distances between 150 and 400 meters, and are always in single person boats. The difficulty of the rapids racers need to navigate can range anywhere from class II to class IV. 

Slalom also has the newest subdiscipline in Olympic paddlesports, with the debut this year of Olympic kayak cross, also called extreme slalom or boatercross. In boatercross, paddlers race side by side in groups of four, instead of the one at a time descents of traditional slalom. After a dramatic drop from a ramp above the river, paddlers race downstream, while attempting not to be knocked off course by their fellow competitors. Here they must also navigate gates, though the gates are always placed on both sides of the river, giving boaters more options on how to select the best line. Boatercross also includes a mandatory “roll zone” in which paddlers must capsize and then right themselves, or else be knocked over by yellow bars suspended across the river. The first racer to the bottom who is still upright wins!

Canoe Slalom events will be held from July 27th through August 5th, at the whitewater course of the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Île-de-France, Vaires-sur-Marne. Men and women will both compete in all three events of the canoe slalom program. 

Surfing: A New Sport with a Long History

2024 will mark surfing’s second appearance as a full medal event in the Olympics, and will be the only event of the Games to not be held in France. Instead, it will be held in Teahupoo, Tahiti, which is part of French Polynesia. The competition is scheduled to take place July 27th through July 31st, but actual dates depend on wave conditions. 

Though surfing is one of the newest Olympic sports, surfers have been advocating for its inclusion for over a century. Native Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, who was an Olympic gold medal swimmer, one of the first professional surfers and surf instructors, and one of the inventors of modern stand-up paddleboarding, began advocating for it as early as the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. 

Unlike the traditional Olympic paddlesports, surfing is a points-based, judged competition. Surfers have a set amount of time in each heat (ranging from 15 to 45 minutes) to take as many rides as they would like. At the end of the heat, their two best rides are counted towards their final score, for a maximum possible score of 20 per heat. Rides are judged by a panel of five judges. The best and worst scores are thrown out and the remaining three scores are averaged to produce the final ride score. The two best rides in the heat are then added together to produce the heat score. Since Olympic surfing is a “short board” event in the world of surfing, expect lots of flashy aerials, cutbacks, slashes, and barrel riding, as surfers try to show off their physical speed, power, and flow, as well as the difficulty, innovation, smooth combination, and variety of the maneuvers they can perform. 

If you want to try surfing in Maine, check out our sea kayak surfing and private paddleboard lessons, or reach out to our friends at More Women+ Surf, or one of greater Portland’s many excellent surf shops!

Who are the Paddlesports Competitors of Team USA?

Twelve athletes will represent the United States in paddlesports events in Paris.

• Sprint: Nevin Harrison (Women’s Canoe), Jonas Ecker (Men’s Kayak), Aaron Small (Men’s Kayak)
• Paracanoe: Blake Haxton (Men’s Va’a), Jillian Elwart (Women’s Va’a)
• Slalom: Evy Leibfarth (Women’s, all events), Casey Eichfeld (Men’s Canoe) 
  • Casey is originally from Pennsylvania and cut his teeth racing in the New England Slalom Series! 
• Surf: Women: Caroline Marks, Carissa Moore, Caity Simmers, Men: Griffin Colapinto, John John Florence

Other Watersports in the Olympics 

The fun doesn’t just stop with paddle and board sports! The Summer Olympic games is also home to a number of other ocean-adjacent activities, including rowing, sailing (including the Olympic debuts of boardsports kiteboard racing and foil windsurf racing), swimming, water polo (a cousin of kayak polo), beach volleyball, and diving. 

Check out this page for the entire schedule of the 2024 Paris Games.