History

Whitewater slalom, which was originally modelled on ski slalom, began in Switzerland in 1932. Slalom canoeing began on flat water, but soon switched to white water rapids. World War Two set back development, especially from an Olympic point of view, but today both sprint and slalom are established Olympic disciplines. The sight  of skill, strength and courage pitted against powerful water makes slalom an exciting spectator sport both live and on TV. For the competitor there is the challenge, together with fantastic friendships, cooperation between national teams, and a closeness to the river and the environment.

The first Slalom World Championships were held in 1949 in Geneva. Since then there have been dramatic changes as folding and rigid canvas canoes have been replaced by composites and rules have been changed and simplified.

In 1992 canoe slalom returned to the Olympic Games, in the fantastic atmosphere under the burning sun of La Seu d´Urgell in the Spanish Pyrenees. Canoe slalom is now an established Olympic sport and made one of the great spectacles at London’s wonderful 2012 Games.

The introduction of the C1W event at an international level culminated in this event making its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, sadly at the expense of the C2 event.

A further innovation has been the development of Kayak Cross, where 4 paddlers race head to head down a course tha includes upstream, downstream and a roll gate. This event made its Olympic debut in Paris in 2024