Assessing the talents of the candidates' speed and precision through the daunting water, Canoe Slalom, previously known as white water slalom, is an interesting, competitive water sport. Suited for adventure lovers, this sport includes kayaking through course of hanging gates on river pads with minimum time possible. This interesting sport is referred to as Canoe Slalom by International Olympic Committee (IOC). Originating in Europe in 1940s, this amazing sport soon grabbed the attention of adventurists. Headquartered in Switzerland, an International Canoe Federation (ICF) was formed in 1949, to govern this sport. From then, highly competitive world Championship was held every odd-numbered year until 1999. All world championship competitions where hosted by Europe till 1977 and in 1979, Canada hosted the championship, bringing the venue to North America. In 2002, this water sport became part of Olympics. The boat used for this sport is 3.5 m long and is made of materials like carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass held together by epoxy or polyester resin. There are two disciplines of this sport in Olympics Canoeing and Kayaking. Canoe Slalom is scheduled to take place in Lee Valley White Water Centre, from 29 July to 1 August.
Canoe Slalom Events In London 2012 Olympics
Canoe Slalom is an interesting water sport event in London Olympics 2012. Here is the schedule of the competitions for you reference.
Schedule Of Canoe Slalom Events
- Men's Canoe Single (C1)
- Men's Canoe Double (C2)
- Men's Kayak (K1)
- Women's Kayak (K1)
- C-1 (canoe single) Women is not a competition event now but this will be included in the 2016 Olympics
Schedule Of Competitions
29 July 2012
13:30-17:40
Competitions to be held
29 July 2012
13:30-17:40
Competitions to be held
- Men's Canoe Single (C1) - Heats 1st and 2nd Run
- Men's Kayak (K1) - Heats 1st 2nd Run
30 July 2012
13:30-17:30
Competitions To Be Held
13:30-17:30
Competitions To Be Held
- Canoe Slalom Men's Canoe Double (C2) - Heats 1st and 2nd Run
- Women's Kayak (K1) - Heats 1st and 2nd Run'
31 July 2012
13:30-15:50
Competitions To Be Held
13:30-15:50
Competitions To Be Held
- Men's Canoe Single (C1) – Semifinal
- Men's Canoe Single (C1) – Final.
01 August 2012
13:30-16:05
Competitions To Be Held
13:30-16:05
Competitions To Be Held
- Men's Kayak (K1) – Semifinal
- Men's Kayak (K1) – Final.
02 August 2012
13:30-17:00
Competitions To Be Held
13:30-17:00
Competitions To Be Held
- Men's Canoe Double (C2) – Semifinal
- Women's Kayak (K1) – Semifinal
- Men's Canoe Double (C2) – Final
- Women's Kayak (K1) – Final
Composition Of Teams
There are two types of Slalom competition in Olympics - singles and doubles. Single consist of a single candidate in a boat, kayaking in the river. Doubles, on the other hand, consists of two participants in the boat, who, with their combined effort, kayak towards the end.
Quota of Athletes
82 athletes will participate in the 4 medal categories of slalom in London Olympics 2012.
Matches
The race route is marked with gates and each gate is made of one or two poles hanging from a wire, which is strung across the river. The number of gates ranges between 18-25, which is divided into upstream (red colored) and downstream (green colored) gates. These color code helps the candidate to recognize the route that he/she should follow. Fastest paddlers often complete the courses in 80-120 seconds. As the level of competition rises, the difficulty level also increases. Difficult courses may take up to 200 seconds to complete. Each competition consists of two courses.
Scoring
As mentioned earlier, each competition consists of two courses and the result is announced on the basis of the sum of the two runs. In Olympics, each participant two runs in the qualification round and the time taken for the two courses are added to give the qualification result. The number of semi-finalists depends upon the number of participants of the event; usually it comes between 10 to 40 boats. However, the fastest 10 boats make it through to the final, navigating the semi-final course once more and then the time taken in semi-final and final run are added to announce the final result. It is important that the participant's boat, paddle or body should not touch either pole of the gate and if it happens, then a time penalty of two seconds is added. Missing of gates completely or a displacement more than 45 degrees or if the boat goes through the gate upside-down, or wrong order, then a 50 second penalty is given. Only one penalty can be incurred on each gate and this is taken as the highest one.
Rules
Teams are responsible for their equipment. Helmet and paddle blades should mandatorily display the NOC flag or emblem. The names of the competitors should be displayed on the side of the boats. Positioning will be determined by the Competition Committee and ICF rules are applicable for technical issues.
There are two types of Slalom competition in Olympics - singles and doubles. Single consist of a single candidate in a boat, kayaking in the river. Doubles, on the other hand, consists of two participants in the boat, who, with their combined effort, kayak towards the end.
Quota of Athletes
82 athletes will participate in the 4 medal categories of slalom in London Olympics 2012.
Matches
The race route is marked with gates and each gate is made of one or two poles hanging from a wire, which is strung across the river. The number of gates ranges between 18-25, which is divided into upstream (red colored) and downstream (green colored) gates. These color code helps the candidate to recognize the route that he/she should follow. Fastest paddlers often complete the courses in 80-120 seconds. As the level of competition rises, the difficulty level also increases. Difficult courses may take up to 200 seconds to complete. Each competition consists of two courses.
Scoring
As mentioned earlier, each competition consists of two courses and the result is announced on the basis of the sum of the two runs. In Olympics, each participant two runs in the qualification round and the time taken for the two courses are added to give the qualification result. The number of semi-finalists depends upon the number of participants of the event; usually it comes between 10 to 40 boats. However, the fastest 10 boats make it through to the final, navigating the semi-final course once more and then the time taken in semi-final and final run are added to announce the final result. It is important that the participant's boat, paddle or body should not touch either pole of the gate and if it happens, then a time penalty of two seconds is added. Missing of gates completely or a displacement more than 45 degrees or if the boat goes through the gate upside-down, or wrong order, then a 50 second penalty is given. Only one penalty can be incurred on each gate and this is taken as the highest one.
Rules
Teams are responsible for their equipment. Helmet and paddle blades should mandatorily display the NOC flag or emblem. The names of the competitors should be displayed on the side of the boats. Positioning will be determined by the Competition Committee and ICF rules are applicable for technical issues.