| Dates | 22 – 25 October 1968 |
|---|---|
| Medal Events | 7 |
| Venues | Pista Olímpico Virgilio Uribe, Canal de Cuemanco, Xochimilco |
The 1968 canoeing events were held in the Xochimilco section of Ciudad de México. The borough was established on the shore of Lake Xochimilco, which has multiple canals. The organizers built the Pista Olímpico Virgilio Uribe on the Canal de Cuemanco, which was used in 1968 for canoeing and rowing.
The canoeing program was exactly the same as in 1964, with two women’s events and five for men. Women contested kayak singles and doubles over 500 metres. All men’s events were over 1,000 metres with three kayak events (singles, doubles, fours) and two Canadian canoe events (singles, doubles). All events were considered canoe sprint events. Hungary and the Soviet Union led the medal tables in Mexico City, with two gold medals and six medals total.
| Event | Status | Date | Participants | NOCs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayak Singles (K1), 1,000 metres, Men | Olympic | 22 – 25 October 1968 | 21 | 21 |
| Kayak Doubles (K2), 1,000 metres, Men | Olympic | 22 – 25 October 1968 | 34 | 17 |
| Kayak Fours (K4), 1,000 metres, Men | Olympic | 22 – 25 October 1968 | 76 | 19 |
| Canoe Singles (C1), 1,000 metres, Men | Olympic | 22 – 25 October 1968 | 11 | 11 |
| Canoe Doubles (C2), 1,000 metres, Men | Olympic | 22 – 25 October 1968 | 26 | 13 |
| Kayak Singles (K1), 500 metres, Women | Olympic | 22 – 25 October 1968 | 13 | 13 |
| Kayak Doubles (K2), 500 metres, Women | Olympic | 22 – 25 October 1968 | 22 | 11 |
| 184 (155/29) | 27 (27/13) |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayak Singles (K1), 1,000 metres, Men | Mihály Hesz | HUN |
Aleksandr Shaparenko | URS |
Erik Hansen | DEN |
| Kayak Doubles (K2), 1,000 metres, Men | Soviet Union | URS |
Hungary | HUN |
Austria | AUT |
| Kayak Fours (K4), 1,000 metres, Men | Norway | NOR |
Romania | ROU |
Hungary | HUN |
| Canoe Singles (C1), 1,000 metres, Men | Tibor Tatai | HUN |
Detlef Lewe | FRG |
Vitaly Galkov | URS |
| Canoe Doubles (C2), 1,000 metres, Men | Romania | ROU |
Hungary | HUN |
Soviet Union | URS |
| Kayak Singles (K1), 500 metres, Women | Lyudmila Pinayeva | URS |
Renate Breuer | FRG |
Viorica Dumitru | ROU |
| Kayak Doubles (K2), 500 metres, Women | West Germany | FRG |
Hungary | HUN |
Soviet Union | URS |
| NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | HUN |
2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Soviet Union | URS |
2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| West Germany | FRG |
1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Romania | ROU |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Norway | NOR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Austria | AUT |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Denmark | DEN |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |