Canoe Sprint at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The Olympic canoeing program was standardized in 1992, with no change in the men’s and women’s programs from 1992-2008. There were nine men’s flatwater events (five kayak, four Canadian canoe) and three women’s flatwater kayak events, all considered canoe sprint events. Beginning in 2012 at London, the program would change slightly, with the removal of some of these events, and the inclusion of several 200 metre sprint events.

The sprint canoe events were widely split with nine different nations winning gold medals, led by Belarus, Germany, and Hungary with two each. Germany won the most medals, with seven, followed by Hungary with four, and Belarus and Spain with three each.

All of the 2008 canoeing (and rowing) events took place at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. This was built specifically for the 2008 Olympics and was finished in August 2007. There were two other Olympic events contested at the site, the men’s and women’s 10 km open-water swimming.