The start of a K-1 heat at Rome 1960.
Four of the 30 sports on the program involve modes of human transport (quick... can you name them all?) that are repurposed for racing. The canoe ended up being Native Americans' gift to both aquatic travel and the Olympic Games. While early craft were made of sealskin and birchbark, technology hasn't changed the way people get around in them.
Canoeing was recognized as an official Olympic sport in April 1934, and the Berlin 1936 organizers quickly put together a flatwater course. Rowing, the long-oared pastime that dates back to ancient Rome, had been contested all the way back to Paris 1900. But this was different: there were paddle blades on both sides of the oar.
For abbreviation's sake, the class of boat takes the first letter of the style, then adds a dash and the number of available spots. A C-2, for example, is a two-person canoe. The way to tell if you're in a canoe or a kayak is simple: if your legs are out in front of you and your upper body is sticking out of a hole (or if the boat is fiberglass), it's a kayak. Canoeists operate from a high-kneeling position.
The paddles are different, too. Canoes use a flat paddle, while those used by kayakers feature opposite-facing blades.
One word you'll hear at least 20 times an hour during a rowing telecast is repêchage. It's a French word meaning "to rescue," and any boat that doesn't finish in the top two (or three, depending on the race) of a heat is sent to a loser's bracket where they can rescue their chances for Olympic gold. The three (or four) top finishers in the repêchage move on to the semifinals, and then on to the nine-boat final.
Canoe/Kayak Fun Facts:
- It took until 1984 for the United States to win a canoeing medal. The 1000 meter K-1 bronze medalist Greg Barton hailed from Homer, Michigan, where there were three times as many pigs as humans.
- At Munich in 1972, kayak slalom events were first held on an artificial whitewater course. But the East Germans had taken careful notes on a facility visit and constructed an exact replica back at home. The GDR won both the singles and doubles events, and slalom disappeared from the Olympic menu until 1992.
- Kayaking was added in 1936 as both a sprint test and a rigorous endurance grind. In the discontinued 10,000 meter events, the Swedish pair of Sven Johansson and Eric Bladström won the folding kayak pairs in 45 minutes, 48.9 seconds. Just behind them was a pair of Germans, who crossed the line for silver just .3 seconds later.
- For whatever reason, women do not compete in Olympic canoeing events. Kayaking for women has taken place at the Games since 1948. Bridgit (Fischer) Schmidt won a gold in the K-1 at Moscow in 1980 for the GDR, then was part of a German K-4 that won the Olympic championship in 1996. She's won two K-4 golds since, becoming the first woman in any sport to win gold medals 24 years apart. She was 42 at Athens.
- Consider the story of Latvian canoeing for a second. The country's entry form for the 1936 events arrived in Berlin late, and therefore was not given consideration. Within four years, Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union; for the next 50 years, its paddlers competed in the name of the hammer and sickle. But in 1992 at Barcelona (the country was not part of the Unified Team due to its early post-breakup application to the IOC), Latvia would not be denied. Ivan Klementjev won a silver medal for his country in the 1000m C-1 race.
- K-1 sprinters can paddle over 130 times a minute. Here's Canadian Adam van Koeverden coming from behind to claim gold in the 500 meter event in Athens four years ago.
- Don't write in with the answer... the other three transportation games at the Olympics are rowing, sailing and cycling. Equestrian events are a close cousin, but the horses don't race.
In 2008:
Canoeing and kayaking will take place at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park from August 11 (Day 3) to August 23 (Day 15).
There will be 12 flatwater events: men's K-1, C-1 and C-2 at 500 and 1000 meters; K-2 at 500m and 1000m; and a 1000m K-4. Women will compete in K-1, K-2 and K-4 sprints at the 500m distance. Four slalom events will be contested: K-1, C-1 and C-2 for men, and K-1 for women.
All-Time Medal Standings:
Men
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 21 | 13 | 6 | 40 |
 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 48 |
 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 51 |
 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 23 |
 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 27 |
 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 20 |
 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 25 |
 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 |
 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 |
 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Women
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 9 | 9 | 2 | 20 |
| | 8 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| | 4 | 7 | 5 | 16 |
| | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
(Photo via 1960 Official Report)
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