Canoe Sprint

Canoe sprint in Kryspinów

In classic canoeing, participants will compete in seven men’s and women’s competitions, as well as two mixed competitions over two distances (200 and 500 metres). The competition will begin on 21 June, the first day of the Krakow – Malopolska 2023 European Games, with four finals scheduled for 22 June and six finals on the following two days. They will be attended by 288 male and female athletes. There will be 16 sets of IE 2023 medals to be handed out. The canoeing competition will also take place in the rank of the European Championships.

The competition will take place on the lagoon in Kryspinowo on a straight regatta course. Each boat must have a designated lane not less than 9 metres wide and the track along its entire length must not be shallower than 2 metres. The main difference between a canoe and a kayak is the method of paddling. A canoe uses a paddle with two feathers. In a canoe, there is a paddle – a paddle with one feather.

The Indians were the first

The origins of canoeing can be traced back to North America, where indigenous people used canoes for transport. In Europe, travel in this way was popularised by John McGregor, who paddled many countries in a canoe he designed himself, and in 1866 founded the Royal Canoe Club, the prototype of the federation.

The International Canoe Federation (ICF) was founded in 1924 in Copenhagen. At that time, canoeing was a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games in Paris. It became a full-fledged member of the Olympic family in 1936 in Berlin.

The European Canoe Federation (ECA) was established in 1993 in Rome and the first European Canoe Championships under its leadership were organised in 1997 in Plovdiv. Since then, the ECA has organised the European Canoe Championships every year, and since 2015 (Baku), the discipline has been present at the European Games.