Canoe slalom is a competitive sport with the aim to navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on river rapids in the fastest time possible. It is one of two kayak and canoeing disciplines at the Summer Olympics, and is referred to by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Canoe/Kayak Slalom. The other Olympic canoeing discipline is canoe sprint. Wildwater canoeing is a non-Olympic paddlesport.
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated with the ICF after seven national federations were added at the 2008 ICF Congress in Rome.
Canoe freestyle is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where people perform various technical moves in one place, as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is to travel the length of a section of river. Specialised canoes or kayaks (boats) known as playboats are often used, but any boat can be used for playing. The moves and tricks are often similar to those performed by snowboarders, surfers or skaters, where the athlete completes spins, flips, turns, etc. With modern playboats it is possible to get the kayak and the paddler completely airborne while performing tricks. The competitive side of playboating is known as freestyle kayaking.
Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today but is often used as a hypernym for both canoe marathon and canoe sprint. Similarly, the term 'canoeing' is used to describe both kayaking and canoeing.
Bâbak Amir-Tahmasseb is an Iranian-born French sprint kayaker who competed in the early to mid-2000s. He won a gold medal in the K-1 1000 m event at the 2001 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznań.
Karolina Elżbieta Naja is a Polish sprint canoeist who has competed since the late 2000s. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, she won a bronze medal in Women's K-4 500 metres, and silver medal in Women's K-2 500 metres.
Milenko Zorić is a Serbian sprint canoer.
Piotr Kuleta is a Polish sprint canoeist. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's C-1 200 metres and the men's C-1 1000 m. He did not originally qualify for the Olympics, but was called up when Pawel Baraszkiewicz was injured.
Erlon de Souza Silva is a Brazilian sprint canoeist who competes in the 1000 m doubles event (C-2). He placed tenth at the 2012 Olympics and won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games. He won two more silver medals at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games and became a world champion in 2015.
ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships is an International Canoe Federation competition in canoe marathon in which athletes compete over long distances. The race usually starts and ends at the same place, and includes portages. Race categories vary by the number of athletes in the boat, the length of the course, and whether the boat is a canoe or kayak. In a kayak, the paddler is seated in the direction of travel, and uses a double-bladed paddle. In a canoe the paddler kneels on one knee with the other leg forward and foot flat on the floor inside the boat, and paddles a single-bladed paddle on one side only. The World Championships were held every two years from 1988, becoming annual in 1998.
Hank McGregor is a South African marathon canoeist and surf ski racer. He has won eleven gold medals at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships.
This article details the canoeing at the 2016 Summer Olympics qualifying phase. Similar to 2012 format, a qualification system has been set up for both slalom and sprint canoeing at these games. The quotas have already been set for each event by the International Canoe Federation in August 2014.
Mathis Soudi is a slalom canoeist. Born in France, he has competed for Morocco at international level since 2016. He is from Rennes, France and competes in the K1 discipline for Morocco.
The 2022 ICF World Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint Championships took place in Szeged, Hungary from 31 August to 4 September 2022.
Martin Nathell is a Swedish canoeist. He represented Sweden at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Melina Andersson is a Swedish canoeist. She represented Sweden at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Pavlo Borsuk is a Ukrainian sprint canoeist. He is a 2024 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships bronze medalist.
The ICF Masters Canoe Sprint World Championships are an international event in canoeing organized by the International Canoe Federation.
The ICF Masters Canoe Marathon World Championships are an international event in canoeing organized by the International Canoe Federation.
Slovenia 
Germany
South Africa 
Portugal
Norway 
Bulgaria