Paracanoe Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation (IVF) ...

debuted at the

2016 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...

in Rio de Janeiro. A meeting of the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, China in 2010 decided to add paracanoe to the roster of the

Summer Paralympic Games The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral ...

is a variant of

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

for athletes with a variety of physical disabilities. The sport is governed by the

International Canoe Federation The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated ...

(ICF).

Events

Competition at the

consists of sprint races over a 200m straight line course. Eight different events are held.

Equipment

The first paracanoe programme at the Paralympics in 2016 featured competitors using single kayaks (K1). For the 2020 paracanoe competitions, a second type of boat, the

va'a Vaʻa is a word in Samoan, Hawaiian and Tahitian which means 'boat', 'canoe' or 'ship'. A larger traditional seagoing vessel for long-distance voyages is referred to as ''vaʻa tele'' (big ship). The term ''alia'' is also used for larger vessel ...

, was added. This is an

outrigger canoe Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. They can range from small dugout canoes to large plank-built vessels. Outrigger ...

propelled by a single bladed paddle.

Competitor classification

There are three different classes for competitors with different physical mobility impairments: *

KL1 KL1, or Kernel Language 1 is an experimental AND-parallel version of KL0 developed for the ICOT Fifth Generation Computer project. KL1 is an implementation of Flat GHC (a subset of the Guarded Horn Clauses language by Kazunori Ueda), making ...

- only arms are used for paddling * KL2 / VL2 - trunk and arms are used for paddling * KL3 / VL3 - legs, trunk and arms are used for paddling

Medal table

Updated to

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...

Paralympic medalists

Men

;

The KL1 Class is for

paracanoe Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation (IVF) ...

paddlers who have very limited or no trunk function and no leg function. ; KL2 The KL 2 class is for

paddlers with partial leg and trunk function alongside good arm strength. A KL2 class paddler should be able to sit upright within the kayak but may require a backrest. ; KL3 The KL3 class is for

paddlers with trunk function and partial leg function. ; VL2 The VL2 classification mirrors the KL2 classification but in reference to the

Va'a Vaʻa is a word in Samoan, Hawaiian and Tahitian which means 'boat', 'canoe' or 'ship'. A larger traditional seagoing vessel for long-distance voyages is referred to as ''vaʻa tele'' (big ship). The term ''alia'' is also used for larger vessel ...

outrigger canoe type. ; VL3 The VL3 classification mirrors the KL3 classification but in reference to the

outrigger canoe type. Some KL2 paddlers will qualify in this classification as a consequence of the extra stability of the outrigger boat.

Women

;

The KL1 Class is for

paddlers who have very limited or no trunk function and no leg function. ; KL2 The KL 2 class is for

paddlers with partial leg and trunk function alongside good arm strength. A KL2 class paddler should be able to sit upright within the kayak but may require a backrest. ; KL3 The KL3 class is for

paddlers with trunk function and partial leg function. ;VL2

Multiple Medalists

The following canoeists have won 2 or more medals in para canoe at the Paralympic Games.Note,

Edina Muller EDINA is a centre for digital expertise, based at the University of Edinburgh as a division of the Information Services Group. Services EDINA front-end services (those accessed directly by the user) are available free at the point of use for ...

Jeanette Chippington Jeanette Clare Chippington, (née Esling; born 21 April 1970) is a British Paralympic swimmer and paracanoeist. Chippington has represented Great Britain at seven Paralympics, five in swimming Summer Paralympics, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, ...

Laura Sugar Laura Sugar (born 7 February 1991) is a British Paralympic athlete who competes in sprint events under the T44 classification. Before taking up athletics Sugar represented Wales at field hockey captaining the under-20s team. She has now switc ...

and

Charlotte Henshaw Charlotte Sarah Henshaw (born 16 January 1987) is a British Paralympic full-time athlete across multiple disciplines. Originally a swimmer, she changed to canoeing from 2017, becoming the reigning World champion in the KL2 (three-time) and VL3 ...

have previously achieved elite success in wheelchair basketball, para athletics and swimming respectively; these medals are not included in this table. ''Correct as of 16 September 2021'':

References

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

Sports at the Summer Paralympics Paracanoe {{paralympics-stub