The Paralympic Games feature canoe sprint events held at a flatwater venue. Two types of boats are used: kayak and va’a. Para athletes compete directly in single-seater boats over 200m. While kayak events were introduced at the Rio 2016 Games, the va’a first appeared at the Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021.
Brief overview of the rules
Para canoe standards are the same as those for the Olympic Games. The only difference in terms of equipment is that the kayak used at the Paralympics has a wider bottom for greater stability.
The two Para canoe boats are the kayak and the va’a. Va’a means “small boat” in Polynesian, and they are traditionally used in Oceania (Tahiti in particular). The va’a was created in Polynesia for travel between different islands. Athletes use a double-bladed paddle in kayak events, whereas a single-blade paddle is used in va’a events. Athletes create their own support on the water and transfer energy to the boat through their bodies.
Six kayak events (KL1, KL2 and KL3 for women and men) and four va’a events (VL2 and VL3 for women and men) will be held at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Eligible impairments
The two types of boat—kayak (KL classification) and va’a (VL classification)—use three and two classification levels respectively based on a system for grading the body’s key movements:
– KL1-VL1: for athletes who propel the boat with their arms only (with no or extremely limited trunk function and no leg function).
– KL2-VL2: for athletes who propel the boat with their arms and trunk (with partial trunk and leg function).
– KL3-VL3: for athletes who have full function of their arms and trunk, and partial function in the legs.
The eligible impairments are: impaired muscle power, limb deficiency and impaired passive range of movement.
