Olympic & Paralympic
Slalom & Kayak Cross
About Canoe Slalom & Kayak Cross
The Olympic Canoe Slalom (CSL) discipline is a timed event where athletes navigate a minimum of 150m and a maximum of 400m long whitewater course through rapids and a combination of 18 to 25 downstream (green) and upstream (red) gates, of which six or eight must be upstream gates. The athlete receives a 2-second penalty for a touched gate and a 50-second penalty for a missed gate or incorrect gate navigation.
Canoe slalom is contested by two types of boats, a canoe (C) and a kayak (K). An athlete knees in a canoe and propels the boat with the single-blade paddle. An athlete uses the double-bladed paddle in a seated position in a kayak. At an international level, male (M) and female (W) athletes currently compete in four individual events: Single Kayak (MK1 & WK1) and Single Canoe (MC1 & WC1).
The canoe slalom originated in Switzerland in 1933 as a summer alternative to slalom skiing. It debuted as an Olympics sport during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, and it has appeared continuously in the Olympic program since the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain. Earlier, Canoe Slalom was also known as the “Whitewater Slalom.”
In previous Olympics, the USA Canoe Slalom team has earned 1 Gold Medal (MC2), 2 Silver Medals (WK1), and 2 Bronze Medals (MC1 & WK1).
- 2026 Slalom and Kayak Cross Information
- 2025 Slalom and Kayak Cross Information
- 2024 Information
- 2023 Information
- 2023 Results
- 2022 Information
- 2026 USA Canoe Slalom National Team Trials and ICF Canoe Slalom World Ranking Race
- March 13-15
- Montgomery Whitewater, Montgomery, AL
- Registration
- 2026 USA Canoe Slalom National Team Trials and ICF Canoe Slalom World Ranking Race
- March 27-29
- RIVERSPORT, Oklahoma City, OK
- Registration
- 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
- July 20-25
- RIVERSPORT, Oklahoma City, OK
- Glacier Breaker
- Mulberry Fork
- Pan American Championships
- Montgomery ICF Ranking Race
- RIVERSPORT ICF Ranking Race
- Locust Fork
- Alabama Cup Final Standings
- WKC Spring Cedar Slalom
- US Open
- Blackwater Slalom (NESS)
- TCWR Runoff
- Feeder Race #1
- Big Spring Open
- Kenduskeag Slalom (NESS)
- Covered Bridge Slalom (NESS)
- Women’s C1
- Men’s C1
- Women’s K1
- Men’s K1
- Women’s Kayak Cross Individual
- Men’s Kayak Cross Individual
- Women’s Kayak Cross Head to Head
- Men’s Kayak Cross Head to Head
- USA CSL Senior/U23/Junior Team Trials,
RIVERSPORT, Oklahoma City, April 14-16, 2023 - 2023 USA Canoe/Kayak Slalom & Kayak Cross National Team Announcement
- Pan American Championships/Qualifier
Tres Coroas, Brazil, April 28-30 - Pan American Games Santiago, Chile;
October 22-29 - ICF CSL World Cup #1 Augsburg, Germany;
June 2-4 - ICF CSL World Cup #2 Prague, Czech Republic;
June 9-11 - ICF CSL World Cup #3 Ljubljana-Tacen, Slovenia; June 16-18
- ICF CSL Jr/U23 World Championships
Krakow, Poland; August 15-20 - ICF CSL World Cup #4 La Seu d’Urgell, Spain;
September 1-3 - ICF CSL World Championships Lee Valley, Great Britain; September 19-24
- ICF CSL World Cup Final/Olympic Test Event Vaires-Sur-Marne, France; October 5-8
- Oklahoma City; November 25-26
- USA CSL Junior Team Trials, Charlotte, NC, April 16-17, 2022
- USA CSL U23 and Senior National Team Trials, Oklahoma City, OK, May 6-8, 2022 (also Continental Championships)
- ICF CSL World Cup #1 Prague, Czech Republic; June 5(10)-12
- ICF CSL World Cup #2 Krakow, Poland; June 13(17)-19
- ICF CSL World Cup #3 Ljubljana-Tacen, Slovenia; June 20(24)-26
- ICF CSL Jr/U23 World Championships Ivrea, Italy; June 27(July 5)-July 10
- ICF CSL World Championships Augsburg, Germany; July 13(26)-31
- ICF CSL World Cup #4 Pau, France; August 22(26)-28
- ICF CSL World Cup Final La Seu, Spain; August 29(September 2)-September 4
- ICF CSL Ranking race – USA National Team Training Camp Lee Valley-London, UK; September 17-18
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- Salida Whitewater Park, Salida, Colorado – August 5-6 (races to be complete by 2pm both days).
- For more information contact: Laura Bohn @ Laura.bohn@comcast.net / Michelle Gallop mgallop42@gmail.com
- Cost will be $125 for Nationals registration- for this rate you MUST log into your ACA account
- NOTE: You are required to pay $6 daily to park or have a USNWC annual parking pass
- Slalom will race on the Competition Channel both days
- Wildwater will race on the Wilderness Channel on Saturday only
- Friday training sessions will be announced soon
- Athletes Register HERE
- Non-Athlete/Volunteer Register HERE
- Due to major construction on the OKC/RIVERSPORT course there is will not be a Thanksgiving camp in 2022.
- There is discussion for a Spring Training Camp- details will be posted here.
2026 Slalom and Kayak Cross Nation, U23, and Junior Team Selection Procedures
2026 Events
Team Selection
2025 Events
2025 Results
2025 Age Group National Championships
2025 US National Championships
2023 Updates to ACA Slalom Racing Rules
Selection Procedures
2024 Olympic Games Selection Procedures Final
2024 National, U23, and Junior Team Selection Procedures
Fast and Clean Screening and Reunion
Join us May 11th, for the World Premiere of the newly restored “Fast and Clean” More details can be found here. Fast and Clean Event
2023 Updates to ACA Slalom Racing Rules
Selection Procedures
2023 Slalom Selection Procedures Final
2023 Pan American Games Selection Procedures Final
2024 Olympic Games Selection Procedures Final
2023 USA CSL National Team Trials
2023 Pan American Games
2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cups and World Championships
2023 USA National Championships
2023 Slalom National Championships
2023 Slalom Team Selections
Day #1:
Day #2:
Day #3:
Event Adjusted Percentage Results:
2023 US Open
2023 New England Slalom Series Results
2023 and Archived NESS Results
2022 USA CSL National Team Trials
2022 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cups and World Championships
2022 Age Group and USA National Championships-
2022 Slalom & Wildwater Nationals will held at USNWC in Charlotte, NC on 10/8-9
2022 Thanksgiving Training Camp
