Canoe slalom: Difference between revisions

'''Canoe slalom''' (previously known as '''whitewater slalom''') is a competitive sport with the aim to navigate a [[Spraydeck|decked]] [[canoe]] or [[kayak]] through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on [[Whitewater|river rapids]] in the fastest time possible. It is one of the two kayak and [[canoeing]] disciplines at the [[Summer Olympic]]s, and is referred to by the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) as Canoe/Kayak Slalom. The other Olympic canoeing discipline is [[canoe racing|canoe sprint]]. [[Wildwater canoeing]] is a non-Olympic paddlesport.

Canoe slalom racing started in Europe andSwitzerland in the1933, initially on a flatwater course.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2015-07-21|title=Canoe Slalom|url=https://www.canoeicf.com/disciplines/canoe-slalom|access-date=2021-03-15|website=ICF - Planet Canoe|language=en}}</ref> In 1940s1946, the [[International Canoe Federation]] (ICF), which governs the sport, was formed.<ref>{{Cite toweb|date=2015-08-17|title=History|url=https://www.canoeicf.com/history|access-date=2021-03-15|website=ICF govern- thePlanet sport.Canoe|language=en}}</ref> The first [[ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships|World Championships]] were held in [[1949 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships|1949]] in Switzerland. From 1949 to [[1999 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships|1999]], the championships were held every odd-numbered year and have been held annually in non-[[Summer Olympics|Summer Olympic]] years since [[2002 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships|2002]].<ref name=":0" /> Folding kayaks were used from 1949 to [[1963 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships|1963]]; and in the early 1960s, boats were made of [[fiberglass]] and [[nylon]]. Boats were heavy, usually over 6530 pounds (3014 kilos). With the advent of kevlar and carbon fiber being used in the 1970s, the widths of the boats were reduced by the ICF, and the boats were reduced in volume to pass the gates, and boats have become much lighter and faster.

From 1949 to [[1977 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships|1977]], all World Championships were held in Europe. The first World Championship held in North America was held at [[Jonquière]], in [[Québec]], [[Canada]], in [[1979 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships|1979]]. It has been a regular Olympic sport since 1992.<ref name=olym>{{cite web | url=http://www.canoeicf.com/icf/London2012/Canoeing-at-the-Olympic-Games.html | title=Canoeing at the Olympics | publisher=International Canoe Federation | accessdateaccess-date=July 24, 2012 | archive-date=August 13, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813045541/http://canoeicf.com/icf/London2012/Canoeing-at-the-Olympic-Games.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

InCanoe 2020 during the Tokyo Olympics,double (C2) men loseslost its status as an official olympicOlympic event and is to be replaced by canoe single (C1) women, starting in 2021 at [[2020 Summer Olympics|Tokyo]]. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/final_2018-03-16_tokyo_2020_qualification_system_canoe_slalom_eng.pdf|format=PDF|title=QUALIFICATION SYSTEM – GAMES OF THE XXXII OLYMPIAD – TOKYO 2020 : INTERNATIONAL CANOE FEDERATION (ICF) : Canoe Slalom|website=Canoeicf.com|access-date=29 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527202742/https://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/final_2018-03-16_tokyo_2020_qualification_system_canoe_slalom_eng.pdf|archive-date=27 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Rules ==

Each gate consists of two poles hanging from a wire strung across the river. There are 18-25 numbered gates in a course, of which 6-7 or 8 must be upstream gates, and they are colored as either green (downstream) or red (upstream), indicating the direction they must be negotiated. Upstream gates are alwaystypically placed in [[Eddy (fluid dynamics)|eddies]], where the water is flat or moving slightly upstream; the paddler enters an eddy from the main current and paddles upstream through the gate. Downstream gates may also be placed in eddies, to increase the difficulty, and downstream gates in the current can be offset to alternating sides of the current, requiring rapid turns in fast-moving water.

In international competitions ([[ICF Canoe Slalom World CupsChampionships|World Championships]], [[Canoe Slalom World ChampionshipsCup|World Cups]], [[OlympicICF GamesCanoe Slalom World Rankings|World Ranking Races]]) eachall competitorcompetitors doescomplete twoa runsfirst run in the qualification round, called the "heats"; the fastest 20 to 30 boats make it through to the semi-final. The remaining competitors complete a second run, with a further 10 moving forward. The qualifying format is different for the [[Olympic Games]], where each competitor completes two runs and the time of thetheir faster run gives the qualification result. Depending on the number of participants in the event, 10 to 40 boats make it through to the semi-final; this consists of one run on a different course. The fastest semi-final boats, the number determined by the number of participants, make it through to the final, where they navigate the semi-final course once more. Their ranking within the final group is based on the time of that last run alone.<ref name="rules">{{cite web|url=https://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/canoe_slalom_competition_rules_2017_rev_csl_final_inclcslx_4.pdf|title=Canoe Slalom Competition Rules Final 2017|last=|firstwebsite=Canoeicf.com|access-date=|website=|publisher=ICFJuly 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329061240/https://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/canoe_slalom_competition_rules_2017_rev_csl_final_inclcslx_4.pdf|archive-date=|dead-url=|accessdate=JulyMarch 2129, 20132017|url-status=live}}</ref>

If the competitor's boat, paddle or body touches either pole of the gate, a time penalty of two seconds is added. If the competitor misses a gate completely(for the gate to be considered correctly negotiated, the whole head of the athlete (or all athletes) and at the same time a part of the boat must pass through the gate), deliberately pushes the gate to pass through, goes through the gate in the wrong direction or upside-down, or goes through it in the wrong order, a 50-second penalty is given. Only one penalty can be incurred on each gate, and this will be taken as the highest one.

There are currently 4four Olympic Medal events:

* C1 (canoe single) Men

*C1 (canoe single) Women
*C2 (canoe double) Men (to bewas dropped after 2016)

* C1K1 (canoekayak single) WomenMen (to be added in 2020)

* K1 (kayak single) Men Women

In the 1960s and early 1970s, boats were made of heavy fiberglass and nylon. The boats were high volume and weighed over 6530 pounds (3014 kilos). In the early 1970s Kevlar was used and the boats became lighter as well as the volume of the boats was being reduced almost every year as new designs were made. A minimum boat weight was introduced to equalize competition when super light materials began to affect race results. The [[International Canoe Federation|ICF]] also reduced the width of the boats in the early 1970s. The gates were hung about 10 cm above the water. When racers began making lower-volume boats, the gates were raised in response to fears that new boats would be of such low volume as to create a hazard to the paddler. Their low-volume sterns allow the boat to slice through the water in a quick turn, or "pivot".

Typically, new racing boats cost between $1,200 and $2,500 (or £650$850 onwards for the cheapest constructions in fiberglass). Usually boats are made with [[carbon fiber]], [[Kevlar]] and fiberglass cloth, using [[epoxy]] or [[polyester]] resin to hold the layers together. Foam sandwich construction in between layers of [[carbon]], [[Kevlar]], or [[Aramid]] is another technique in use to increase the stiffness of slalom boats.

Boat design progression is rather limited year to year. Directly from the 2017 ICF Canoe Slalom Rules:<ref name = rules/>

**All types of K1 {{convert|9|kg|0|abbr=on}}. (Previously 8  kg).

**All types of C1 {{convert|9|kg|0|abbr=on}}. (Previously 8  kg).

== Courses ==

* 1972: [[Augsburg Eiskanal|Augsburg]], West Germany

* 1992: [[Parc Olímpic del Segre|La Seu d'Urgell]], Spain

* 1996: [[Ocoee Whitewater Center|Ocoee River]], United States

* 2000: [[Penrith Whitewater Stadium|Penrith]], Australia

* 2004: [[Hellinikon Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Centre|Athens]], Greece

* 2008: [[Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park|Shunyi]], Beijing, China

* 2012: [[Lee Valley White Water Centre|Lee Valley]], UK

* 2016: [[Deodoro Olympic Whitewater Stadium|Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil

* 2020: [[Tokyo]], Japan

* 2024: [[Vaires-sur-Marne]], [[Paris]], France

* 2028: [[LosOKC Riversport]], [[Oklahoma AngelesCity]], United States

== See also ==

*[[Canoeing and kayaking at the Summer Olympics]]

{{reflistReflist}}

*[httphttps://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/canoe_slalom_competition_rules_2017_.pdf International SlalomCanoe RulesFederation]

**[httphttps://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/rules_canoe_slalom_2019.pdf International Slalom ICFRules]