What is Canoe Slalom?

Canoe Slalom is one of the most exciting and dynamic olympic disciplines and Great Britain boasts both Silver (Campbell Walsh) and Bronze (Helen Reeves) medals from the Athens Games.

Competitors race against the clock through a series of gates hung over a challenging and dangerous wild water course. The venue for this race is no exception with powerful white water features creating a very testing sporting environment.

Find out more about Canoe Slalom

Why get involved in canoeing?

Canoeing is the most popular watersport in the UK - the most popular for the fifth year running with more than one million people taking part across the UK. And, according to the IOC, it was the third most watched sport at the Athens Games in 2004.

There is no better time to get involved in canoeing. More investment than ever is going into the sport. Through its Lottery funding, UK Sport is investing £650,000 a year straight into world-class performance. Canoeing is viewed as a sport that can deliver a London 2012 medal haul and is a key component of UK Sport's strategy.

There are more then 50,000 fully signed up members - either directly through the BCU or through 450 affiliated canoeing clubs across the UK.

How to get involved in canoeing?

The best way to get involved in canoeing is to contact the British Canoe Union to find out about clubs and coaching opportunities in your area.

Canoeing Facts

• Canoeing was the 3rd most watched sport in Athens 2004 (taken from IOC figures).
• 1 million people take part in canoeing every year (based on an adult population of 47,858,000 aged 16+) or 2.09% across all age groups.
• Twice as many men as women take part - 662,000 men compared to 337,000 women.
• The biggest age group that takes part is 16-34 year olds - 609,731, followed by 35 - 54 year olds - 327,000
• People that take part in canoeing are generally outdoors people and take part in other outdoor pursuits such as climbing and walking.