Paracanoeing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, also simply referred to as canoeing, was held in Rio de Janeiro in September 2016, with a maximum of 60 athletes (30 men, 30 women) competing in six sprint style events. This was the first appearance for Para-canoe in the Paralympic Games.

Background to inclusion

In 2009, 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) began a programme to make the sport accessible to everyone, with the explicit aim of including it in the

Paralympic Games 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 impaire ...

for the first time in Rio. In 2010, 31 countries sent participants to the

ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are an international event in canoe racing, one of two Summer Olympic sport events organized by the International Canoe Federation (the other being the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships). The World Cham ...

in Poland. That same year, the sport’s inclusion in the

Rio 2016 The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

Paralympic Games was approved. In the Paralympic Games, only

kayaks A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...

, identified by the letter K, are used, and only flatwater sprint events are held. Each boat is adapted according to the functional abilities of its crew members. Athletes with any type of physical-motor disability may participate in competitions.

Classification

The Olympic and Paralympic versions have similar rules, with the fastest canoeist winning. The competition format features direct classification to the finals and repechage heats to decide which athletes will take part in the final race, in which medals are won. There are three functional classes: L3, where athletes use their legs, trunk and arms to help paddling; L2, in which athletes use only their trunk and arms; and K1, in which athletes only use their arms. Events are always held along straight line courses marked by buoys, 200 metres long. There are both men’s and women’s races, with events for individuals.

Qualification

An NPC can be allocated a maximum of one qualification slot per medal event. An NPC can obtain a maximum of three male and three female slots. There must be a minimum of three continents represented in each medal event at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Qualification slots will be allocated as follows:

Medal summary

Medal table

Medalists

References

{{EventsAt2016SummerParalympics

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2016 Summer Paralympics events 2016 in canoeing Canoeing and kayaking competitions in Brazil