Racing

Races occur in both whitewater and flatwater.

• Flatwater racing as done in the Olympics use specialized racing kayaks and wing paddles.
• Slalom racing is also included in the Olympics and is the only whitewater event.
• Whitewater kayaks for racing are also specialized. They are often called Wildwater or Downriver kayaks and are not as maneuverable as most whitewater kayaks.
• Marathon racing is done both in specialized racing kayaks and in sea kayaks.

Rodeo is another form of competitive kayaking.