Paracanoeing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

See also: Canoeing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Canoeing at the XV Paralympic Games
100px Paralympic Canoeing
Venue	Lagoa Stadium, Copacabana cluster, Rio
Dates	September 2016
Competitors	104

Paracanoeing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, also simply referred to as canoeing, will be 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 will be the first appearance for Para-canoe in the Paralympic Games.

Background to inclusion

In 2009, the International Canoe Federation (ICF) began a programme to make the sport accessible to everyone, with the explicit aim of including it in the Paralympic Games for the first time in Rio. In 2010, 31 countries sent participants to the Paracanoe World Championship in Poland. That same year, the sport’s inclusion in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games was approved.

In the Paralympic Games, only kayaks, 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 (1) qualification slot per medal event. An NPC can obtain a maximum of three (3) male and three (3) female slots. There must be a minimum of three (3) continents represented in each medal event at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Qualification slots will be allocated as follows:

Qualification for Paracanoe at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Qualification Event	Men				Women
	MKL1	MKL2	MKL3		WKL1	WKL2	WKL3
2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships Milan, Italy	Italy Argentina Brazil China Australia Poland	Austria Australia Brazil Italy Great Britain Slovenia	Germany Great Britain Russia Romania Ukraine Poland		Great Britain Germany Ukraine Russia Hungary France	Great Britain Australia Ukraine Hungary Canada Israel	Australia Great Britain France Romania Italy Iran
2016 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships	Great Britain South Africa Hungary France	Germany Ukraine Hungary Spain	France Ireland Australia Brazil		Chile Australia France Japan	Russia China United States Brazil	Canada Brazil United States Sweden
Totals	10	10	10		10	10	10