| Host city |  Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada on Lake Banook |
|---|---|
The 1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada on Lake Banook.
The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian (single paddle, open boat) and nine kayak events. Eight events were held for the women, all in kayak. Women's K-1 1000 m and K-2 1000 m events were added.
This was the 28th championships in canoe sprint.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Germany | 9 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| 2 |  Hungary | 8 | 6 | 2 | 16 |
| 3 | Canada | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 |  Italy | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 |  Australia | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
 Czech Republic | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
 Russia | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
| 8 |  Romania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 |  Belarus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 |  Poland | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 11 |  Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 |  Sweden | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
 Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 14 |  Austria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Spain | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 16 |  Great Britain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Norway | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (17 entries) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 78 | |
The 2005 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Zagreb, Croatia, in August 2005.
The 1938 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Vaxholm, Sweden, outside Stockholm, between 6–7 August 1938. This event was held under the auspices of the Internationale Repräsentantenschaft Kanusport (IRK), founded in 1924 and the forerunner of the International Canoe Federation.
The 1950 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Copenhagen, Denmark. This event was held under the International Canoe Federation.
The 1958 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Prague, Czechoslovakia. This event was held under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation.
The 1963 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Jajce, Yugoslavia. This event was held under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation.
The 1971 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
The 1973 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Tampere, Finland.
The 1975 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia for the second time, having hosted them in 1971. This also equaled the most times a city had done so with Copenhagen, Denmark.
The 1977 Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The 1979 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Duisburg, West Germany.
The 1983 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Tampere, Finland for the second time. The Finnish city had host the championships previously in 1973.
The 1986 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Montreal, Canada at the Notre Dame Island. This is also where the canoeing and rowing competitions for the 1976 Summer Olympics took place.
The 1989 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
The 1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Poznań, Poland on Lake Malta.
The 1994 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Mexico City, Mexico for the second time at neighboring Xochimilco. The Mexican city had hosted the event previously in 1974 at the same venue that hosted the canoeing and rowing competitions for the 1968 Summer Olympics.
The 1995 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Duisburg, Germany for the third time. The German city had hosted the event previously in 1979 and 1987 when it was part of West Germany.
The 1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Szeged, Hungary.
The 1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Milan, Italy at the Idroscalo.
The 2001 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Poznań, Poland at Lake Malta. The Polish city had hosted the event previously in 1990.
The 2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Seville, Spain.
| Editions |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Medalists | ||
Years marked (para) were limited to paracanoe events only | ||