What is Canoe Slalom?

The Ultimate Test of Skill

Speed, strength and mental toughness are important attributes of an elite Slalom Canoeist. The challenge is to make their way down a whitewater river, precisely navigating through a series of ‘gates’ put in place to test their skills. However, these are not the only obstacles – rocks, water size and speed also play a crucial part in the race.

The Race Against Time

The ultimate race is against the clock. The time taken to paddle from start to finish gives the competitors their total time. However, a two second penalty is awarded for touching a gate and a 50 second penalty for missing a gate. There are so many variables that an athlete must negotiate whilst racing down the river, that it truly does make for a competitive and exciting sport.

An Explanation of Canoe Slalom

Canoe Slalom is intended to test whitewater skills in a safe environment, and the race course is set by a professional course designer. A Slalom race is held over a section of river approximately 300-400m long. The 18-25 ‘gates’ are set in position creating a ‘course’ down the river. A "gate" is two poles, suspended over the water. Red and white striped gates must be negotiated upstream and green and white striped gates are negotiated in a downstream direction.

History of Canoe Slalom

Canoe Slalom is an international sport. It was re-introduced into the Olympics in 1992 and since this time has been growing in popularity world-wide. The history of Slalom dates back to 1932 in Switzerland, where the inventor of the sport announced "Slalom is a whitewater test." The idea came from skiing, with the concept of "Winter, snow and Ski Slalom" being turned into "Summer, water and Canoe Slalom".

Slalom began as a flatwater discipline, but the excitement of natural fast-flowing rivers soon changed the sport into a test of skill on whitewater. Over time, as interest in the sport started to flourish, technology enabled the construction of artificial courses such as the Penrith Whitewater Stadium, which was used for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and the 2004 Olympic Course in Athens.

Team Events

Men: 3xK1

Men: 3xC1

Men: 3xC2

Women: 3xK1

The Canoe Slalom Season

The Australian Canoe Slalom season begins with selection for the national Team, in which athletes must compete in a series of races in Australia at the start of each year and finish within the top three - a position in which hundreds of canoeists from around the country aspire to.

Athletes on the Australian Team have the opportunity to compete in the international season against competitors from around the world, including France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, America, Canada and Great Britain. In fact, most countries have athletes competing at international Canoe Slalom events.

The international season involves a series of World Cup races that begin around June and run throughout the European summer. Each year, with the exception of Olympic years, the season culminates with the World Championships - the most important and prestigious race for the world’s best athletes.

The People

People from around the world are involved in Canoe Slalom, from young beginners to elite professionals like the athletes on the 2004 Australian Olympic Team. On one end of the spectrum, it is a sport that takes many years of hard training and skill to master, on the other it is a fun, recreational activity that all the family can take part in.

World Championship Competitors

The World Championships take place every year, except for the year of the Olympic Games. World Championships attract a larger number of competitors and nations than World Cup events, making for a more exciting competition. During Non-Olympic years, World Champion is the most coveted title in Slalom Canoeing. Therefore, World Championships attract the highest calibre athletes from all across the globe. Around 400 athletes from 80 nations will take part in the World Championships competition.

Australia has a strong chance of winning medals at the Penrith World Championships. Outstanding Australian athletes include Robin Bell who finished fourth at the 2004 Olympics and second at the 1999 World Championships, in addition to a number of World Cup medals during his career, Louise Natoli who finished 7th at the 2004 Olympics, Warwick Draper who finished 9th and Kynan Maley who finished 9th at the 2003 World Championships.