The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are undoubtedly the most eagerly awaited sporting event in France, and an opportunity to expand your knowledge of many of the sports on the bill. Each month, Sortir à Paris takes you on a little tour of the lesser-known disciplines, right up to the competition, so you can learn everything you need to know! Today, we're taking a closer look at canoe-kayak, a paddling sport divided into several events.
If you put canoeing and kayaking together, they're not exactly the same sport! The kayak seems to have originated in Greenland, where it was used by the Eskimos mainly for hunting, fishing and transport, while the canoe was used all over the world for transport and trade. It was in London, in 1866, that a canoe club took an interest in the professional development of this sport, with the birth of sporting competitions, which became popular throughout Europe.
The Olympic program included sprint canoeing and slalom canoeing, which were not contested in the same boat. In the latter, which takes place in whitewater, athletes must pass through gates on a timed course, and can be penalized for touching or missing them. The sprint takes place in a still-water pool, as in rowing, with a race over eight lanes, the aim being to cross the finish line first.
Slalom appeared for the first time at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972, but was not included until 1992. 90% of the medals come from Europe, as the discipline was mostly practiced on the continent, apart from New Zealand and Australia. For the Paris Olympics, a new format has been introduced, with kayak cross events in which 4 athletes take off together from a starting ramp! The road race made its appearance much earlier, having been introduced in Paris in 1924, and included in Berlin in 1936.
The name Tony Estanguet is bound to ring a bell! Before becoming president of these Olympic Games 2024, he won gold in canoeing three times during the Olympic Games, as did Denis Gargaud Chanut, who took the title at Rio 2016.
For Paris 2024, 82 athletes will be selected in slalom canoeing, while for sprint, 236 athletes are expected, with numerous events and plenty of medal chances. In slalom, Marjorie Delassus, Nicolas Gestin, Camille Prigent and Titouan Castryck will be lining up on the starting line, and other athletes are expected to join them soon.
