| Host city |  Seville, Spain |
|---|---|
The 2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Seville, Spain.
The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian (single paddle, open boat) and nine kayak events. Women competed in nine events, all in kayak.
This was the 32nd championships in canoe sprint.
Dmitiry Sabin of Ukraine won the silver in the C-1 200 m event, but was disqualified when he tested positive for doping. Sabin became the first person to fail a doping test in canoe sprint at an Olympic or world championship level though he did compete at the following year's world championships.
Non-Olympic classes
Non-Olympic classes
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hungary | 6 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| 2 |  Germany | 3 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 |  Poland | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 |  Russia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 |  Slovakia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Spain | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 |  Cuba | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 |  Romania | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 |  Norway | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 |  Lithuania | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 |  Australia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 |  Canada | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 14 |  Czech Republic | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 |  Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 |  Belarus | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Uzbekistan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 18 |  Argentina | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 China | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Ukraine | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 21 |  Italy | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 22 |  Israel | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (22 entries) | 27 | 28 | 27 | 82 | |
Petar Hristov Merkov is a Bulgarian sprint canoeist who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade). Competing in three Summer Olympics, he who won two silver medals at Sydney in 2000. Prior to those games, Merkov was subjected to controversy for failing a doping test in Bulgaria which led to over a dozen canoeing nations petitioning the International Canoe Federation for an investigation, only to have Bulgarian officials stonewall on his behalf to compete. He would later refuse to attend the post-race press conference of K-1 1000 m in the wake of those allegations.
The 2005 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Zagreb, Croatia, in August 2005.
The ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are an international event in canoe racing, one of two Summer Olympic sport events organized by the International Canoe Federation. The World Championships have taken place every non-Olympic year since 1970 and officially included paracanoe events since 2010; since 2012, paracanoe-specific editions of this event have been held in Summer Paralympic years.
Inna Volodymyrivna Osypenko-Radomska is a Ukrainian-Azerbaijani sprint kayaker. Competing for Ukraine, she won four Olympic medals, including gold at the 2008 Olympics in K-1 500 m. She switched to Azerbaijan in 2014 and won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics.
The 1950 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Copenhagen, Denmark. This event was held under the International Canoe Federation.
The 1954 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Mâcon, France. This event was held under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation.
The 1970 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Copenhagen, Denmark for the second time after hosting the event in 1950. This event was held under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation. Beginning at these championships, the event would be held on an annual basis in non-Summer Olympic years, a tradition that continues as of 2009.
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 1985 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Mechelen, Belgium.
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 1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Poznań, Poland, on Lake Malta.
The 1991 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Paris, France from 21 to 25 August 1991.
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 1997 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada on Lake Banook.
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 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held September 10–14, 2003 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States at Lake Lanier. Located north of Atlanta, this was also where the canoe sprint and rowing events for the 1996 Summer Olympics took place.
Dmitriy Sabin is a Ukrainian sprint canoer who competed in the early 2000s. He won two medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with a gold and a bronze. Sabin also won a silver in the C-1 200 m event at the 2002 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Seville, but was disqualified for doping though he was allowed to compete at the following year's world championships.
| Editions |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Medalists | ||
Years marked (para) were limited to paracanoe events only | ||