| Paracanoeing at the XV Paralympic Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas |
| Dates | 14–15 September 2016 |
| Competitors | 104 |
| Paracanoeing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| KL1 | men | women | ||
| KL2 | men | women | ||
| KL3 | men | women | ||
Paracanoeing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, also simply referred to as canoeing, was held in Rio de Janeiro in September 2016, with a maximum of 60 athletes (30 men, 30 women) competing in six sprint style events. This was the first appearance for Para-canoe in the Paralympic Games. [1]
In 2009, the International Canoe Federation (ICF) began a programme to make the sport accessible to everyone, with the explicit aim of including it in the Paralympic Games for the first time in Rio. In 2010, 31 countries sent participants to the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poland. That same year, the sport’s inclusion in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games was approved.
In the Paralympic Games, only kayaks, identified by the letter K, are used, and only flatwater sprint events are held. Each boat is adapted according to the functional abilities of its crew members. Athletes with any type of physical-motor disability may participate in competitions. [2]
The Olympic and Paralympic versions have similar rules, with the fastest canoeist winning. The competition format features direct classification to the finals and repechage heats to decide which athletes will take part in the final race, in which medals are won.
There are three functional classes: L3, where athletes use their legs, trunk and arms to help paddling; L2, in which athletes use only their trunk and arms; and K1, in which athletes only use their arms. Events are always held along straight line courses marked by buoys, 200 metres long. There are both men’s and women’s races, with events for individuals. [3]
An NPC can be allocated a maximum of one qualification slot per medal event. An NPC can obtain a maximum of three male and three female slots. There must be a minimum of three continents represented in each medal event at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Qualification slots will be allocated as follows:
| Qualification for paracanoeing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualification Event | Men | Women | |||||
| MKL1 | MKL2 | MKL3 | WKL1 | WKL2 | WKL3 | ||
2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships  Milan, Italy |  Italy  Argentina  Brazil  China  Australia  Poland |  Austria Australia Brazil Italy  Great Britain  Slovenia |  Germany Great Britain  Russia  Romania  Ukraine Poland | Great Britain Germany Ukraine  United States  Hungary  France | Great Britain Australia Ukraine Hungary  Canada  Israel | Australia Great Britain France Romania Italy  Iran | |
2016 ICF Paracanoe World Championships  Duisburg, Germany | Great Britain  South Africa Hungary France | Germany Ukraine Hungary  Spain | France  Ireland Australia Brazil |  Chile Australia France  Japan | Russia China United States Brazil | Canada Brazil United States  Sweden | |
| Totals | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
* Host nation (Brazil)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | Australia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Poland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Germany | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Austria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hungary | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 8 | Brazil* | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (9 entries) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's KL1 | Jakub Tokarz  Poland | Robert Suba  Hungary | Ian Marsden  Great Britain |
| Men's KL2 | Curtis McGrath  Australia | Markus Swoboda  Austria | Nick Beighton Great Britain |
| Men's KL3 | Serhii Yemelianov  Ukraine | Tom Kierey Germany | Caio Ribeiro de Carvalho Brazil |
| Women's KL1 | Jeanette Chippington Great Britain | Edina Muller Germany | Kamila Kubas Poland |
| Women's KL2 | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Nataliia Lagutenko Ukraine | Susan Seipel Australia |
| Women's KL3 | Anne Dickins Great Britain | Amanda Reynolds Australia | Cindy Moreau  France |
Canoeing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was contested in two main disciplines: canoe slalom, from 7 to 11 August, and canoe sprint, from 15 to 20 August. The slalom competition was held at the Olympic Whitewater Stadium; whereas the sprint events were staged at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Copacabana. The location for canoeing events was a source of concern for athletes since the Brazilian federal government's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation lab has found the genes of drug-resistant super bacteria in Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.
Paracanoe debuted at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. A meeting of the International Paralympic Committee in Guangzhou, China in 2010 decided to add paracanoe to the roster of the Summer Paralympic Games.
Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation (IVF).
France competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. The first places the team qualified were for four athletes in sailing events.
Archery at the 2016 Summer Paralympics was held between 10 and 17 September 2016 at the Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí in the Maracana zone of Rio de Janeiro, and consisted of nine events. Although featuring the same number of events as in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, their make-up changed substantially, with three men's events, three women's events and three events for mixed gender teams. In each category, two events involved the compound bow - one for wheelchair athletes, the other open - with an open event for recurve bow, the bow used for all Olympic events.
The paratriathlon competitions at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 10 to 12 September 2016 at Fort Copacabana. Sixty athletes competed across two genders, and six events. This was the first Paralympic Games to feature paratriathlon, one of two new sports added to the schedule for 2016.
For the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, the following qualification systems are in place. Qualification ends on July 3, 2016.
Wheelchair tennis events at the 2016 Summer Paralympics were held between 8 and 16 September at Olympic Tennis Centre, Rio. This was the seventh full Paralympic wheelchair tennis competition since the event was introduced in 1992, having been a demonstration event in 1988.
Iran competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
South Africa entered 45 athletes in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro from 7–18 September 2016. The country qualified athletes in archery, athletics, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, powerlifting, rowing, swimming, shooting and wheelchair tennis.
New Zealand competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. It was the nation's thirteenth appearance at the Summer Paralympics, having made its debut in 1968 and appeared in every edition since.
Russia was originally scheduled to compete during the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in what would have been its sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Paralympics as an independent nation. Russia had qualified athletes in ten sports.
Poland competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016.
Argentina competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. Wheelchair tennis player Gustavo Fernandez has been chosen to carry the nation's flag at the opening ceremony.
Hungary competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016.
Romania competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016.
Brock Ingram is an Australian Paralympic kayaker and rower. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
The KL1 Class is for paracanoe paddlers who have very limited or no trunk function and no leg function. A KL1 class paddler is able to apply force predominantly using the arms and/or shoulders. These athletes will likely also have poor sitting balance and typically need a seat with a high backrest. Eligible paddlers typically meet one of the following:
Paracanoeing at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan took place at the Sea Forest Waterway, the same location where the rowing took place. This was the second appearance of paracanoe in the Paralympic Games and the debut of all three va'a events.
Paracanoeing at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France took place at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, the same venue that hosted rowing. This was the third appearance of the paracanoe in the Summer Paralympics. There was five canoe sprint events for both men and women, three in kayak and two in va'a in each category.
