In the Games at Paris in 1924, canoeing was first demonstrated. Canoe racing became a feature of Olympic schedule from the year 1936. Initially, 1000 meters and 10000 meters races took place. But since the shortening of the Games, 10000 meter races are no longer a part of the fixture. The first ever official canoe race was held way back in the early 19th century. The canoe sprint race, the younger version of canoe racing, is a fast-paced event across still water. This is one of the few water sports that can go down-to-the-wire. Coincidentally, Canoe sprint is one of the sports making its Olympic debut in the London Summer Olympics in 2012. The spectators can be positively content as they are going to be witness to some high-speed action.
The Eton Dorney Rowing Center at Dorney Lake (Buckinghamshire), set across a 400-acre park, is one of the worlds finest rowing venues and this time, it will play host to the canoe-sprint events at the summer Olympics. August 6th and August 12th are the start and end dates of the event respectively. There will be 246 competitors this year. Out of this, 155 are men and 88 in the women's group. The distances to compete for will range between 200 to 1000 meters. There are nine lanes in the Eton Dorney Lake. Eight lanes have been assigned for the races. The ninth lane will only be used if there is a tie in the qualifiers and two racers qualifying with the same time. One boat per country is allowed per event which means a nation can nominate 18 competitors (men-12 and women-6) across all the events.
The canoe sprint race, which is the younger version of canoe racing, is a fast-paced event across still water. The format is dependent on the total number of boats competing in a particular heat. For example, if 10 boats are competing, there will be two heats only. If 17-18 boats are competing, there will be three heats. There are seven different officials assigned to assure a smooth and clean race. The seven different officials are namely:
€ The Chief Judge;
€ Aligners;
€ Start Judges;
€ Finish Judges;
€ Aligners;
€ Boat-Control Officials and
€ Umpires.
Core and upper body strength is very essential in order to compete in Canoe Sprint races. Apart from this, a person must have excellent techniques to bring out maximum effect from every stroke they make.
Penalty is vital to every game. In canoe Sprint races if the athlete repeats a false or deviates from their lane, they are penalized. A boat, when capsized, is eliminated then and there. The events cover distances of 200, 500 and 1000 meters. The competitors can either compete solo or as a pair or with a crew.
This year, Tim Brabants will defend his Olympic title in the K1 1000 meter race he was confirmed in the Great Britain squad. United States of America and Australia are some other teams to watch out for in this year's event.