CANOE KAYAK CANADA - IT'S WHO WE ARE Canoe Kayak Canada is the national body for competitive paddling in Canada. We are a volunteer lead and staff driven organization made up of a community of paddling enthusiasts – athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, staff and supporters – from coast to coast. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization which includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial and divisional paddling associations for the disciplines of sprint, whitewater and marathon. Elite National Teams proudly represent Canoe Kayak Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Canoe Kayak Canada is recognized by its partners at the International Canoe Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and Sport Canada as the designated authority for the sport in Canada. HISTORY Canoe Kayak Canada was founded in 1900 as the Canadian Canoe Association. With early ties to the American association, the Canadian Association broke apart on its own as it took a great focus on war canoe racing. The war canoe remains a uniquely Canadian boat and a staple of the club system. In 1936, sprint paddling was introduced to the Olympic Games and Francis Amyot won Canada’s first gold medal. Since then, Canoe Kayak Canada has continued to excel internationally. Having won 24 Olympic medals, it is one of Canada’s most successful summer sport organizations. The organization has had an enormous impact at the international level by championing initiatives to advance inclusion in the sport and has hosted several World Championships with great success. The sport has evolved and grown to include many different types of paddling. New events, clubs and champions have emerged over the years to continue a steady flow of stories with every generation of paddlers.